defenseman
noun
de·fense·man
di-ˈfen(t)s-mən 
-ˌman
: a player in a sport (such as hockey) who is assigned to a defensive zone or position
Examples of defenseman in a Sentence
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Kulikov had surgery in mid-October to repair a labral tear in his right shoulder that Maurice said has a five-month recovery time, shelving the defenseman until mid-March.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 Nov. 2025
On his first shift of the third, McDavid came into the zone with a head of steam — a truly scary sight for any defenseman — and made a series of moves that twisted Blue Jackets second-year defenseman Denton Mateychuk into a pile on the ice.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The Swedish defenseman has topped 50 points in each of his past four seasons and was selected to represent his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
After the Wild killed their first penalty of the game, fourth-line winger Tyler Pitlick leveled Carolina defenseman Jalen Chatfield with an open-ice check.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2025
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Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 Nov. 2025
On his first shift of the third, McDavid came into the zone with a head of steam — a truly scary sight for any defenseman — and made a series of moves that twisted Blue Jackets second-year defenseman Denton Mateychuk into a pile on the ice.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The Swedish defenseman has topped 50 points in each of his past four seasons and was selected to represent his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
After the Wild killed their first penalty of the game, fourth-line winger Tyler Pitlick leveled Carolina defenseman Jalen Chatfield with an open-ice check.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defenseman
Cite this Entry
“Defenseman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defenseman. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
defenseman
noun
de·fense·man
-mən
-ˌman
: a player in a sport who is assigned to a defensive zone or position
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