linesman

noun

lines·​man ˈlīnz-mən How to pronounce linesman (audio)
1
2
: an official who assists a referee (as in football, tennis, or hockey) especially in determining if a ball, puck, or player is out-of-bounds or offside

Examples of linesman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On one occasion, Brajan Gruda burst down the right wing and Micky van de Ven nearly shoved him into the linesman in his desperation to prevent another dangerous attack. Jay Harris, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025 The living begins at the base of the tower at the foyer, which features a cascading water feature and a wall of tools unearthed in the 1940s that were once used by linesman to repair the tower. Sandra Barrera, Oc Register, 16 July 2025 However, a player from each team had faced off, the linesman dropped the puck, it then got deflected by Abbotsford and skittered back into the goal. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 June 2025 There was an unplanned timeout early in the second period when linesman Bryan Panich had to be helped from the ice after an inadvertent collision with a Golden Knights player near the blue line. Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for linesman

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of linesman was in 1883

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Linesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/linesman. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

linesman

noun
lines·​man ˈlīnz-mən How to pronounce linesman (audio)
: an official who assists a referee in a game (as football or hockey)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!