line of scrimmage

noun phrase

: an imaginary line in football that is parallel to the goal lines and tangent to the nose of the ball laid on the ground and marks the position of the ball at the start of each down

Examples of line of scrimmage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Hurricanes appeared to play more conservatively on offense in the second half, frequently throwing passes behind the line of scrimmage. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026

For Virgin-Morgan, that means more consistently exploding off the line of scrimmage and winning the edge or gap. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 23 Sep. 2026

On Sunday night, this 36-year-old didn’t look a day over 27, made possible by the infusion of the run game and the respect opposing defenses now need to pay to the line of scrimmage. — Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

On third-and-1, Tabb got the handoff from JC French IV out of the shotgun formation, eluded a couple of tackles near the line of scrimmage and another at the Miami 46-yard line before outracing defenders for his second TD of the game. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for line of scrimmage

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Kids Definition

line of scrimmage

: an imaginary line in football parallel to the goal lines and running through the place the ball is laid before each play begins