fullback

noun full·back \ ˈfu̇l-ˌbak \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Definition of fullback

1 : an offensive football back used primarily for line plunges and blocking

2 : a primarily defensive player usually stationed nearest the defended goal (as in soccer or field hockey)

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Recent Examples of fullback from the Web

The Mexico fullback was booked for a hard tackle just 13 seconds into Wednesday's match against Sweden.

— Houston Chronicle, "Mexico, Sweden advance from group stage; defending World Cup champ Germany eliminated," 27 June 2018
Here again, the fullbacks seemed to play too high, placing an intolerable burden on the single holding midfielder.

— jonathan wilson, SI.com, "Germany Saves Its World Cup Life, But Champions Show Their Vulnerability," 23 June 2018
Rossi, who threatened the Republic fullbacks throughout the game, fired a shot past Cohen a little more than five minutes later, but the ball came back off the post.

— daniel o'boyle, latimes.com, "LAFC advances to quarterfinals of U.S. Open Cup with win over Sacramento," 19 June 2018
More on the Detroit Lions: Bawden's injury leaves converted linebacker Nick Bellore as the only fullback on the Lions' roster.

— dave birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Lions' Bawden out with ACL, but Patricia mum on injuries," 7 June 2018
The most enduring images of Tom Rathman typically involve the former 49ers fullback lowering his head, punishing a defender and often finding yardage where none seemed to exist.

— stephen holder, Indianapolis Star, "Coach Tom Rathman challenging Colts running backs to get tougher," 16 May 2018
And the Cowboys are expected to continue carrying a fullback, Olawale, on the active roster.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Predicting the Cowboys' 53-man roster," 26 June 2018
And at fullback, with the noteworthy exception of Ajax’s Nicolas Tagliafico, the problem is just as pronounced.

— rory smith, New York Times, "How Argentina Lost Its Way. (Spoiler: It’s Not Messi’s Fault.)," 22 June 2018
The second tight end—or often in San Francisco’s case the second back, fullback Kyle Juszczyk—serves as an extra, movable blocker, which adds significantly more variables to a running game.

— andy benoit, SI.com, "Sean McVay vs. Kyle Shanahan: The NFL’s Best New Coaching Rivalry," 18 June 2018

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

First Known Use of fullback

1875

in the meaning defined at sense 2

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FULLBACK Defined for English Language Learners

fullback

noun

Definition of fullback for English Language Learners

American football : a player on offense who lines up behind the line of scrimmage and who runs with the ball and blocks
: a defensive player in games like soccer and field hockey who is usually positioned near the goal