linebacker
Americannoun
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a player on defense who takes a position close behind the linemen.
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the position played by this player.
noun
Etymology
Origin of linebacker
Explanation
A linebacker is a defensive player on an American football team. If you ever hear someone described as being "built like a linebacker," it means the person is large and strong. There are usually three or four linebackers on the field during play. A linebacker's job is to defend the goal area of the football field against runs, and to block plays by the opposing team. Linebackers usually stand behind the line of scrimmage in front of the defensive backs known as safeties. There are several different specific kinds of linebackers, including middle, outside, strongside, and weakside.
Vocabulary lists containing linebacker
American Football, 2nd Quarter
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Frindle
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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.
Carranza didn’t want a tan, but he was looking to lose some body fat after ending his football career as a linebacker.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
A linebacker from Tampa, the 17-year-old five-star junior has offers from 50 colleges, including Notre Dame, Ohio State and LSU.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
The 21-year-old is the son of Super Bowl-winning linebacker Lorenzo Styles and Sonny's older brother Lorenzo Jr also hopes to be drafted this weekend.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Gamble, who turns 36 in June, is a running back and linebacker for the Los Angeles Legends in the Women’s National Football Conference, a full-contact professional league consisting of 16 franchises across the United States.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
The door was closed and ten feet away, and a lot of animals stood between it and me, but I plowed through them like a linebacker.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
