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

Gavrikov, 29, emerged as a solid presence on the blue line, playing a career-high 82 games and posting the best goals-against average of the 17 defensemen to play at least 1,500 minutes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 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