wide receiver

American  

noun

Football.

• wide receivers
  plural

1. an offensive player positioned wide of the formation, as a split end, used primarily as a pass receiver.

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wide receiver British  

noun

1. American football a player whose function is to catch long passes from the quarterback

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• wide receivers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wide receiver

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wide receiver

After suffering his fifth loss in the NFC championship game last January, veteran wide receiver Davante Adams is locked-in on helping the Rams reach the Super Bowl.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Chargers rookie wide receiver Brenen Thompson said he doesn’t love zipping around.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

And playing as a wide receiver, he was immediately dominant against kids who had played the game their whole life.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

But the film belongs to Cuba Gooding Jr. as an NFL wide receiver with a simple request: “Show me the money.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

He was tall and brown, built thin and powerful like a wide receiver.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates