chop block

noun

American football

: a dangerous and illegal block aimed at the legs and especially knees of another player

Smith is probably the victim of more chop blocks than any defender in the league.—

Rick Telander

chop-block

ˈchäp-ˌbläk

transitive verb

chop-blocked; chop-blocking; chop-blocks

Early in the fourth quarter of Kansas City's 26-10 win over Denver … Chiefs defensive tackle Chester McGlockton became enraged after being chop-blocked by Lepsis. —

Michael Silver

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Like a true heel, Theory won this match with a combination of a ref bump, a low blow, a chop block and his A-Town Down finisher. —

Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2023 That was compounded by a chop block penalty giving the Saints starting field possession on the Las Vegas 27. —

Brett Martel, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Oct. 2022 The Chiefs drove inside the 10 but had a touchdown negated by a chop block and then Harrison Butker missed a 39-yard field goal try. —

Josh Dubow, ajc, 24 Oct. 2022 The Hoosiers drove to the Rutgers 33 on their second possession, but then pushed themselves back with chop block and false start penalties and had to punt from the Scarlet Knights 46. —

Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Oct. 2022 Right guard Michael Furtney was called for a chop block. —

Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2022 The Panthers were flagged for a chop block by Tejan Koroma, formerly of BYU, on the play in any event. —

Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2022 Cole Fenske rushed it in from 4 yards away for a score, and Rice Lake appeared to get the 2-point conversion on a rush from Elliot Nolan but was flagged for a chop block. —

Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 Nov. 2021 But after a chop block penalty pushed Western Kentucky back, UTSA’s Clarence Hicks ended the night with the defensive spark the Roadrunners were searching for. —

Greg Luca, San Antonio Express-News, 10 Oct. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chop block.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.