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back line

British  

noun

  1. (in some team sports) the defensive players considered as a unit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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What we can't live with is if there's gaps in the back line and with runners in behind.

From BBC Jun. 22, 2026

Both Anderson and Bellingham were dragged towards Martin Baturina who dropped deep, which opened up space in the back line between Reece James and Ezri Konsa.

From BBC Jun. 18, 2026

The game against Trinidad was his first start in the qualifying tournament and he was playing up in the midfield, not in his usual position on the back line.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 7, 2026

The U.S., which hasn’t posted a clean sheet since September, has become an error-prone mess on defense, with Pochettino’s wide, attack-minded approach revealing a structural fragility that has left the Americans’ thin back line exposed.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 7, 2026

Every few minutes you turned to look at them, and if you saw one of them moving the offender had to retire to the back line and begin again.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

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