double-team
Americanverb (used with object)
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to defend against or block (an opposing player) by using two players, as in football or basketball.
By double-teaming the end the safety men left the other receiver in the open.
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to use two people in the handling of.
The company is double-teaming the more complicated jobs with both a scientist and a group manager.
Etymology
Origin of double-team
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
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.
“I think we did pretty good. Our strategy was to double-team No. 7 and make other players shoot.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
When Reaves and Doncic share the floor, it is a straightforward attack: teams simply can’t double-team two ruthlessly efficient ballhandlers stationed at opposite wings of the court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2025
Bullets assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff beckoned Washington to double-team Seattle’s point guard, Williams, as he crossed midcourt; they were a step late.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
Essentially conceding Timme the area around the basket by refusing to double-team him on most possessions, the Bruins locked down Gonzaga’s guards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2023
The spin didn’t shake him and I saw Fletcher double-team Trip.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
