fullback
Americannoun
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fullbacks
plural
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a running back who lines up behind the quarterback and is farthest from the line of scrimmage.
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the position played by this back.
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(in soccer, Rugby, field hockey) a player stationed near the defended goal to carry out chiefly defensive duties.
noun
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soccer hockey one of two defensive players positioned in front of the goalkeeper
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rugby a defensive player positioned close to his own line
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the position held by any of these players
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fullback
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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.
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Higbee is the sage veteran, Parkinson caught eight touchdown passes last season and Allen can also line up at fullback.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
“You’ve got to beat everyone and be able to be everyone,” said fullback Sergiño Dest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Aguirre is also expected to give playing time to 17-year-old prospect Gilberto Mora in midfield — possibly in place of Gutiérrez — and to bring in Jorge Sánchez for Reyes at fullback.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
With piles of snow at every intersection and pedestrians moving in slow motion, I regularly bolted ahead and mounted obstacles like a fullback rushing for glory, leaving Sarah somewhere behind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Allen’s stepson, Phillip, had been a fullback on the 1980 Permian team that won the state championship.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Szoboszlai and Wirtz as the starting wide players will often move centrally with the fullbacks pushing up to provide the width.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy talked in the spring about UCLA’s fullbacks playing “a huge role when needed.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2024
Another obstacle to Rowe returning to the go-to utility reserve role was the development of former academy players in Cody Baker and Reed Baker-Whiting as fullbacks.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024
Also of note: The use of the guardian cap - a padded addition that fits over a regular football helmet - will be expanded during the preseason to include running backs and fullbacks.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
That was good news for the big fullbacks from Palmetto.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
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.
