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man-to-man defense

American  

noun

Sports.
  1. a method of defense in team sports, especially in basketball and football, in which each member of the defensive team is designated to guard a particular member of the offensive team.


Etymology

Origin of man-to-man defense

First recorded in 1955–60

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:

After mounting external pressure, seventh-year coach Mike Hopkins, a zone-defense devotee, adopted a man-to-man defense in the offseason and even had Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown implement schemes last summer.

From Seattle Times Jan. 26, 2024

In a battle for first place in the Baseline League, Etiwanda made clutch three-point shots while relying on its man-to-man defense to knock off Damien 49-39 on its home court Thursday night.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 18, 2024

Washington brought in eight newcomers, who vastly upgraded the offense while UW’s new man-to-man defense remains a work in progress.

From Seattle Times Dec. 8, 2023

And when Miller traded out a man-to-man defense for a zone, the Longhorns began to pound the ball to Bishop in the paint.

From Washington Times Mar. 25, 2023

It was an isolation offense to run when another team played us man-to-man defense.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

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