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

He’s been stopped at the line of scrimmage or for a loss of yardage on seven of the 11 attempts. — Sam McDowell 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

The Bulldogs’ streak of 53 consecutive wins against unranked teams came to an end with a 27-24 loss keyed by three Gunner Stockton turnovers, untimely penalties and a fresh Tigers team coming off a bye week that won at the line of scrimmage. — Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Linebacker Ty Jackson’s fourth-down stop behind line of scrimmage, along with a half-sack, earned the sophomore reserve a case for more snaps. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026

So look for a recommitment to a physical style of ball at the line of scrimmage, possibly with Devin Singletary back in the mix and fullback Pat Ricard even taking some handoffs. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 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