defenseman
noun
a player in certain games, as ice hockey or lacrosse, who lines up in a defensive zone or position.
defensemen
-
pluralof defenseman.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Though it isn’t uncommon for defensemen to log the longest minutes, Hughes’s ice time is the most of any player in the past decade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
An injury had forced him to withdraw from the hotly anticipated 4 Nations Face-Off, meaning one of the NHL’s top defensemen would have to watch Team USA battle the best teams in hockey without him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
Those absences led the Kings to play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026
Hiller also shortened his bench in the playoffs, overusing a core group of veterans while under-utilizing his bottom forward line and his last two defensemen.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2025
Medicine Hat defensemen February 9 and February 14 dive to block the puck while January 10 looks on helplessly.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
