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

And Harvey saw little daylight on a blustery night in Maryland, facing at least seven defenders near the line of scrimmage on eight of his 13 carries. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025

The Chargers moved off-ball linebacker Daiyan Henley down to the line of scrimmage on several plays, aligning him outside the edge rusher to create a five-man front along the line of scrimmage. —Daniel Popper, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025

But the Colts defense has been a bit shaky recently, which, against a Texans defense that’s thriving, could open the door for an upset if Houston controls the line of scrimmage and forces turnovers. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025

Thanks to Allen, Cook and a powerful offensive line, Buffalo can control the line of scrimmage and the clock. —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 29 Nov. 2025

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