forward pass

American  

noun

Football.

1. a pass in which the ball is thrown in the direction of advance toward the opponent's goal.

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forward pass British  

noun

1. Also called: throw-forward.  rugby an illegal pass towards the opponent's dead-ball line

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Etymology

Origin of forward pass

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Modern-day football has moved away somewhat from the traditional English style of play when I was in the game, of direct forward passes which encouraged more final third entries.

From BBC

Already, Tipping is as allergic to subtlety as a forward pass right down the middle on the 50-yard line — or whatever football play would be a really obvious one.

From Salon

England's early strategy was clearly to get the ball forward more quickly but the overall percentage of forward passes was identical to June's game against Andorra at 23%.

From BBC

A team of players who go side to side with no one willing to try something different to create space for a forward pass.

From BBC

He was ranked ninth for forward passes in Italy's top flight last term, and was fifth for through balls and carrying the ball.

From BBC