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.
A quietly confident all-American halfback with a sharp intellect and quick reflexes, Davis was drawn by President John F. Kennedy’s vision of the Special Forces as a sort of counterinsurgency dream team.
From Washington Post • Mar. 3, 2023
“I played halfback, fullback and emergency tight end, and I started on five special teams. I get confused on one play, and they never let me forget it.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2023
Hadl played both halfback and quarterback his final two seasons, helping Kansas go 14-5-2 over the span.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2022
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said the thought of McCaffrey throwing a halfback pass came during red-zone preparations Thursday night.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2022
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
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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.