playmaker

[ pley-mey-ker ]

noun

, Sports.

1. an offensive player, as in basketball or ice hockey, who executes plays designed to put one or more teammates in a position to score.
2. Archaic. a playwright; dramatist.

playmaker

/ ˈpleɪˌmeɪkə /

noun

1. sport a player whose role is to create scoring opportunities for his or her team-mates

Other Words From

• playmaking noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of playmaker¹

First recorded in 1520–30; play + maker

Example Sentences

The Rams, who have playmakers on both offense and defense, gave up a haul to acquire the quarterback they wanted.

From Washington Post

Murray is the lead ball-handler and playmaker, as well as an exceptional defender.

From FiveThirtyEight

He should ponder how deadly he could be as a secondary playmaker sharing the court with two stars who have won seven of the past 11 scoring titles.

From Washington Post

The Crimson Tide is loaded with playmakers on offense and may provide an even bigger challenge for Ohio State’s defense than Clemson did.

From Washington Post

Kane has been dropping deeper and functioning more as a playmaker than an out-and-out striker, and he and Son look like the most dangerous duo in England, if not all of Europe.

From FiveThirtyEight

They named Howe the smartest player, best passer and playmaker and best puck carrier.

From The Daily Beast

Still, the side has undergone many changes and, crucially, is without its injured playmaker Michael Essien.

From The Daily Beast

Watch out for playmaker Asamoah Gyan—everything Ghana does seems to go through him.

From The Daily Beast

I am no playmaker, and, for pledging your healths, I love none of the four you drank to so well.

From Project Gutenberg

It is to require the story-teller and the playmaker to prove a thesis that common sense must reject.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the work of a playmaker rather than a poet, and the verse had none of the elevation of Godfreys or Rogerss.

From Project Gutenberg