onside kick

noun

: a kickoff in football in which the ball travels just far enough to be legally recoverable by the kicking team

Examples of onside kick 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.
One step closer to recovering an onside kick In light of the drastic kickoff changes before last season that became permanent this year with some further alterations, owners approved Wednesday a tweak to the onside kick. Dave Campbell, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025 Teams must declare their intention of an onside kick and can only try it in the fourth quarter. Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 16 Dec. 2024 The Bears, the team the Commanders stunned earlier this year on a Hail Mary, nearly pulled off their own wild comeback versus the Vikings at home, scoring 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation — successful onside kick included — to send the game into overtime. Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024 There have not been more than three onside kick recoveries in a season since 2021, per CBS Sports. Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for onside kick

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of onside kick was in 1895

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Onside kick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onside%20kick. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.

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!