lineman

American  

[lahyn-muhn] / ˈlaɪn mən /

noun

• linemen
  plural

1. Also a person who installs or repairs telephone, telegraph, or other wires.

2. Football. one of the players in the line, as a center, guard, tackle, or end.

3. Surveying. a person who marks the positions of a survey mark with a range pole or the like.

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lineman British  

/ ˈlaɪnmən /

noun

1. another name for platelayer

2. a person who does the chaining, taping, or marking of points for a surveyor

3. (formerly) the member of a beach life-saving team who controlled the line used to help drowning swimmers and surfers

4. American football a member of the row of players who start each down positioned on either side of the line of scrimmage

5. another word for linesman

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Gender

See -man.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underlineman
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• linemen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lineman

First recorded in 1855–60; line ¹ + -man

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lineman linemen

His coach, Joe Smigiel, is a former offensive lineman who played at Arizona and believes Dominguez is well on his way to earning a college scholarship.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Sierra Canyon defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou is also an MVP-like lineman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Gillis is a former offensive lineman from central Pennsylvania who was recruited out of his Catholic high school to play football at West Point—where he immediately realized he didn’t belong and left.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Smith Jr. was born Aug. 10, 1961, in Fayetteville, Ark., the son of longtime NFL defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith, and grew up in Plano, Texas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Felipe Davila looping around a lineman thirty-five pounds heavier than he was to force the quarterback into an off-target throw.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Jordan said the linemen are closer than they were last season and inspire confidence among other offensive players.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The Royals now had six linemen who stood 6-foot-3 or taller and a dozen assistant coaches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

OK, the Chargers didn’t race to the podium to select offensive linemen — their undoing last season — but they have remade their offensive line anyway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

I had the, yes, the pleasure of playing directly against fellow Hall members such as Deacon Jones, Buck Buchanon, Bobby Bell and Claude Humphrey, and a slew of other notable defensive linemen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

We watch as the Colts hike the ball and our defensive linemen close in on the quarterback.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden