lineman
Americannoun
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linemen
plural
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Also a person who installs or repairs telephone, telegraph, or other wires.
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Football. one of the players in the line, as a center, guard, tackle, or end.
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Surveying. a person who marks the positions of a survey mark with a range pole or the like.
noun
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another name for platelayer
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a person who does the chaining, taping, or marking of points for a surveyor
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(formerly) the member of a beach life-saving team who controlled the line used to help drowning swimmers and surfers
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American football a member of the row of players who start each down positioned on either side of the line of scrimmage
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another word for linesman
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lineman
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.
See Examples For:
Porter is the third Steelers player traded to the Cowboys in the last two years, following receiver George Pickens last year and offensive lineman Broderick Jones just before this season started.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The veteran defensive lineman is day to day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Defensive lineman Aaron Donald was not scheduled to practice Wednesday because of a back issue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
Offensive lineman Steve Avila was a member of the 2024 Rams team that turned it around after a terrible start.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Puts a spin move on Justyce’s defensive lineman and gets the first down.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
A Rams defense missing defensive linemen Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald—and their five combined Defensive Player of the Year awards—had somehow given the team a prayer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
There are two other linemen who also play key roles: senior right guard Noah Lee and senior Baxter Middagh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Johnson said that his team finally has a threatening run game because of the gaps the linemen create.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Interior offensive linemen, right tackles, and tight ends were cheap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 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
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.
