tweener
Americannoun
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Sports. a player whose size or skills do not qualify them ideally for either of two positions.
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Tennis. a stroke by a player that sends the ball between the player's own legs.
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a thing or person that does not quite fit into either of two categories, such as light versus midsize pickup truck, tablet versus laptop, academic versus general educational stream, etc.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
The NFL saw him as a tweener, too small for linebacker at 210 pounds and too slow to play safety.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
On his serve at 3-3, he produced a trademark tweener and backed it up by putting away a sharp volley.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2024
He’s kind of a tweener when you think about size and ability and strength and speed, and we want to take advantage of that and use him in multiple ways.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 2, 2023
Even without Williams, the Celtics can depend on Al Horford or tweener Grant Williams; both are capable of taking on tricky defensive assignments.
From Washington Post • May 29, 2022
It also seems like, as we said of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, a bit of a tweener.
From The Verge • Dec. 15, 2021
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.
