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

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Etymology

Origin of wide receiver

First recorded in 1965–70

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wide receiver

Brock Purdy eventually got San Francisco over the line thanks to new wide receiver Mike Evans, who had 113 yards receiving and a touchdown, taking some great catches late on.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Senior wide receiver Shelby Nguyen has 137 receptions for 1,442 yards and 24 touchdowns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

But a first-year wide receiver named Nate Bailey was already putting his Harvard football education to good use.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Standout freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley, who racked up 13 catches, 255 yards, four receiving touchdowns and a punt-return touchdown in his first three games with USC, was listed as doubtful.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

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

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

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