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ball-carrier

American  
[bawl-kar-ee-er] / ˈbɔlˌkær i ər /

noun

Football.
  1. the offensive player having the ball and attempting to gain ground.


Etymology

Origin of ball-carrier

First recorded in 1930–35

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.

See Examples For:

New Zealand-born and Australia-raised Meafou, a powerful ball-carrier, made his debut for France in 2024 after qualifying on residency grounds, playing 13 times since then.

From Barron's Feb. 20, 2026

They were favourites to lose, but they took the lead when McTominay headed away a Switzerland short corner then then took off in pursuit of the ball-carrier, Andy Robertson.

From BBC Jun. 19, 2024

He was last seen when he came on as the ball-carrier in a goal-line package against Penn State on Oct.

From Washington Times Dec. 24, 2023

Receiver Tutu Atwell is becoming a threat as a pass catcher and as a ball-carrier.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 29, 2023

A punishing ball-carrier with the ability to hit the home run, Walker is a game-changer for Seattle when healthy, particularly when the rest of the offense hits lulls.

From Seattle Times Sep. 25, 2023

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