forward pass

noun

Updated on: 25 Feb 2018

Definition of forward pass

: a pass (as in football) made in the direction of the opponent's goal

See forward pass defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of forward pass from the Web

But even though the forward pass was legalized in 1906, until the ball took on its present size and shape in 1935, the pass was a nonplay.

— Popular Mechanics, "The Evolution of the Football," 1 Feb. 2018
Sergio Busquets cued Barcelona with a forward pass for Ivan Rakitic, who pushed down the middle before playing Sergi Roberto wide.

— kieran canning/afp, chicagotribune.com, "La Liga Recap: Barcelona open up 14-point gap on Madrid after El Clasico win," 23 Dec. 2017
Milner executed the perfect lay-off from Can's forward pass and the Germany midfielder surged through to sidefoot powerfully into the corner from the edge of the area.

— USA TODAY, "Liverpool beats Maribor 3-0, tops Champions League group," 1 Nov. 2017
El Shaarawy scored his second in the 36th by latching onto a forward pass from Chelsea's summer transfer target, Radja Nainggolan.

— USA TODAY, "Champions League: Stephan El Shaarawy's brace helps Roma outclass Chelsea," 31 Oct. 2017
The Thunderhawks have thrown 12 forward passes in three games.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "High School Sports Insights from Week 3 action," 9 Sep. 2017
And if that's the case, at this point, Ducks coach Willie Taggart would probably settle for moving the first-down marker with a forward pass.

— ken goe, OregonLive.com, "Portland State Vikings receive a $2 million gift for an athletics hall of fame," 14 Oct. 2017
Since the addition of the forward pass in 1933, just three teams have finished the first four games of the season without a turnover -- the 1995 St. Louis Rams, the 2013 Tennessee Titans and the 2017 Saints.

— josh katzenstein, NOLA.com, "Saints would stand alone in NFL history with another turnover-free game," 12 Oct. 2017
Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta has completed more forward passes than any other player in the Premier League since the start of the 2016/17 season as revealed on Twitter by Squawka.

— SI.com, "Chelsea Star Cesar Azpilicueta Revealed as Surprise Premier League Pass King," 6 Sep. 2017

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