tweener
Americannoun
plural
tweeners-
Sports. a player whose size or skills do not qualify them ideally for either of two positions.
-
Tennis. a stroke by a player that sends the ball between the player's own legs.
-
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.
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.
Gates still held out NBA hopes, but he was a tweener at that size, too small to play forward at the next level.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2025
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
Still, I say all this and yet can’t help myself: I want the tweener devices to work.
From The Verge • Aug. 10, 2022
Much like the tweener, Kyrgios is not every tennis fan’s cup of tea.
From Washington Post • Aug. 3, 2022
Analysis: Bryant’s game doesn’t always flash on tape, and his frame may suggest he’s somewhat of a positional tweener.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 27, 2022
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.
