back line

British

noun

(in some team sports) the defensive players considered as a unit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

However, George Hirst has more than double Dykes' goal tally in the English Championship this season and also put himself about against a solid Japanese back line.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

City's makeshift back line struggled to keep United at bay all afternoon and would have been embarrassed but for the brilliance of Donnarumma in goal.

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

Vanney also wants to add depth on the back line and in the midfield.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025

Tuchel has stressed the need for off-the-ball running in behind defences to stretch the back line, open up spaces for team-mates and to receive the ball over the top in goal scoring situations.

From BBC • Sep. 10, 2025

Every few minutes you turned to look at them, and if you saw one of them moving the offender had to retire to the back line and begin again.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023