broken field
noun
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broken field
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broken-field
broken-fieldadjectiveperformed, as by a ball-carrier, in a wide-open area covered by few defensive players, as opposed to the heavily trafficked area near the line of scrimmage.
broken field
1 Americannoun
broken-field
2
American
[broh-kuhn-feeld]
/ ˈbroʊ kənˈfild /
adjective
Football.
Etymology
Origin of broken field1
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
Origin of broken-field2
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
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:
Because Bordeaux's backline, marshalled by the quicksilver Mathieu Jalibert and laced with the pace of Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, is the most dangerous in the competition off turnover ball and in broken field.
From BBC ● May 24, 2025
His teammate Perry called him the best broken field runner he had ever seen.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 23, 2022
De Laura fired a pass at midfield to Joey Hobert, who made a great broken field run to complete a 55-yard touchdown and lift Washington State to a 17-10 lead late in the third.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 9, 2021
Manoa gets it back though and MacGinty goes searing through the broken field, dummying and getting up to the 22.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 20, 2015
A broken field of black basaltic lava, thrown into the most rugged waves, and crossed by great fissures, is everywhere covered by stunted, sun-burnt brushwood, which shows little signs of life.
From The Voyage of the Beagle by Darwin, Charles
Matthieu Jalibert, a broken-field fiend, accepted the invite to run back and England were back under the pump.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
Messi made it happen, though, dropping a shoulder and darting into the midfield, drawing defenders to him on a long, broken-field run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
He often turned short passes into long gains through his broken-field running and his 9.6-second speed in the 100-yard dash.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 19, 2022
We noted, when the bus had to reroute around a temporary blockage, that the on-board voice called out the stops correctly as we approached them, even though we were doing broken-field running.
From Forbes ● Jul. 13, 2011
The return of Tom Croft, who missed the Six Nations with knee trouble, injects further pace into the broken-field mix should England choose to do anything beyond scrummaging.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 10, 2010
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.
