double-team
Americanverb (used with object)
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to defend against or block (an opposing player) by using two players, as in football or basketball.
By double-teaming the end the safety men left the other receiver in the open.
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to use two people in the handling of.
The company is double-teaming the more complicated jobs with both a scientist and a group manager.
Etymology
Origin of double-team
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When Reaves and Doncic share the floor, it is a straightforward attack: teams simply can’t double-team two ruthlessly efficient ballhandlers stationed at opposite wings of the court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2025
“I’m always looking for the open guy and usually that’s Shane. If they’re not going to double-team him, we know he’s going to be better than anyone lined up against him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024
Jokic, the two-time NBA MVP, feasted on a Celtics defense that opted not to double-team him for most of the game.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
Jefferson beat a double-team and caught the ball around the 5-yard line.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
They double-team him in a hurry—don’t want to give him an easy three.
From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
