special team

American  

noun

1. Football. a group of players fielded for kicking plays, as punts, kickoffs, and field-goal attempts.

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special team British  

noun

1. American football any of several predetermined permutations of the players within a team that play in situations, such as kickoffs and attempts at field goals, where the standard offensive and defensive formations are not appropriate

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Other Word Forms

• special-team
  adjective
• special-teams
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

special team

Prosecutors in Paris on Saturday said they would re-examine the case of Brunel and set up a special team to analyze evidence that could implicate French nationals in the Epstein case.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

“And then we had a little problem with some special team stuff and that’s a recipe for a tough one. We need to stay out of the penalty box.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024

To execute the new NFL kickoff rules, special team coordinators will be required to have a PhD.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2024

Rejecting their plea, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said there were "no grounds" for the investigation to be transferred to a special team and directed Sebi to complete its investigation in a timely manner.

From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2024

I heard the police had brought in a psychic, a fingerprint expert, a special team of bloodhounds trained at Dannemora.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt