defenseman

American  

[dih-fens-muhn, -man] / dɪˈfɛns mən, -ˌmæn /

noun

Sports.

plural

defensemen

1. a player in certain games, as ice hockey or lacrosse, who lines up in a defensive zone or position.

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Etymology

Origin of defenseman

First recorded in 1890–95; defense + man

Example Sentences

Both were the youngest players on the team when they made their Olympic debuts, Knight as a high-scoring forward in 2010 and Harvey as a physical, offensive-minded defenseman in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

The same goes for the Ducks, who are sending four players — goalie Lukas Dostal and defenseman Radko Gudas, Czechia; forward Mikael Granlund, Finland; and defenseman Jackson LaCombe, U.S. — to Milan.

From Los Angeles Times

The 232 American Olympians include defenseman Seth Jones of the reigning NHL champion Florida Panthers, who was named to the US squad earlier this month before suffering an upper body injury and being replaced by Jackson LaCombe of the Anaheim Ducks.

From Barron's

With captain Anze Kopitar retiring at the end of the season and defenseman Drew Doughty in the penultimate year of his contract, re-signing Kempe, the team’s future leader on and off the ice, was at the top of Ken Holland’s to-do list when he took over as general manager last spring.

From Los Angeles Times

Ovechkin scored his landmark goal after defenseman Jakob Chychrun had a shot blocked by Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington.

From Barron's