noun
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rugby either the scrum half or the stand-off half
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old-fashioned soccer any of three players positioned behind the line of forwards and in front of the fullbacks
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any of certain similar players in other team sports
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the position of a player who is halfback
Etymology
Origin of halfback
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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.
Another halfback, Ray Williams, also starred and went to Washington State.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
George Halas gambled on Oklahoma A&M halfback Bob Fenimore despite a knee injury that cut short his senior season.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
Jaedyn Smith caught a 19-yard halfback option pass and Wagner added the one-point catch to extend the lead to 15-0.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2023
They were also the first Huskies from the state of Michigan since Art Ahonen, a halfback from 1932 to 1934.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
He was about to be a junior at the black high school, where he made all A’s and played halfback on the football team.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
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.
