lineman

American  

[lahyn-muhn] / ˈlaɪn mən /

noun

• linemen
  plural

1. Also a person who installs or repairs telephone, telegraph, or other wires.

2. Football. one of the players in the line, as a center, guard, tackle, or end.

3. Surveying. a person who marks the positions of a survey mark with a range pole or the like.

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lineman British  

/ ˈlaɪnmən /

noun

1. another name for platelayer

2. a person who does the chaining, taping, or marking of points for a surveyor

3. (formerly) the member of a beach life-saving team who controlled the line used to help drowning swimmers and surfers

4. American football a member of the row of players who start each down positioned on either side of the line of scrimmage

5. another word for linesman

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Gender

See -man.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underlineman
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• linemen
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of lineman

First recorded in 1855–60; line ¹ + -man

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lineman linemen

Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner injured his elbow attempting to arm tackle Allen in 2024.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

In 2020, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald sacked Allen twice in a 35-32 loss to the Bills in Buffalo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Former NFL offensive lineman John Urschel published a paper proving a decades-old mathematical conjecture regarding Gaussian elimination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

After three years with the Baltimore Ravens, the offensive lineman who was listed at 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds ditched his helmet to become a professional egghead in 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Billy Steen, who bore no resemblance whatever to a football player but had become one through sheer will, fighting off an offensive lineman four inches taller and fifty pounds heavier to sack the quarterback.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Inglewood‘s defense, led by linemen Myels Smith and Elija Harmon, was able to to slow down Palos Verdes’ high-powered offense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

A Rams defense missing defensive linemen Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald—and their five combined Defensive Player of the Year awards—had somehow given the team a prayer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Offensive linemen squared up against defensive linemen, while running backs took on safeties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

There are two other linemen who also play key roles: senior right guard Noah Lee and senior Baxter Middagh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

We watch as the Colts hike the ball and our defensive linemen close in on the quarterback.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

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