downfield

American

[doun-feeld] / ˈdaʊnˈfild /

adverb

Football.

past the line of scrimmage and at or toward the goal line of the defensive team.

He sent his receivers downfield. Downfield blocking is important on passes.

Etymology

Origin of downfield

First recorded in 1940–45; down ¹ + field

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.

Sesko laid the ball off to Matheus Cunha deep inside his own half before sprinting downfield to slot in Mbeumo's perfectly-weighted pass.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

And they paid dearly with an overthrown line-out hacked on by Bielle-Biarrey for Gailleton to charge 50 metres downfield before Ramos finished off the counter-attack in the corner.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

He speaks about the team battling their way downfield and getting good field position.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

If the Chargers can establish even a modest run game, it opens opportunities downfield off misdirection and play-action.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2026

Ian backpedaled and waited before launching the ball downfield.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023