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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bosa has won enough at the line of scrimmage for a 90.4 grade, trailing only T.J. Watt (93.5), Khalil Mack (91.6) and Myles Garrett (91.3) among edge players. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 17 Nov. 2024 And then last week against the Minnesota Vikings, the Rams had a clean sheet, not allowing quarterback Matthew Stafford to go down behind the line of scrimmage. Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 31 Oct. 2024 On the second play, Hall was quickly stuffed behind the line of scrimmage by defensive end Brian Burns. Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024 Limmer had made a couple of mental errors at the line of scrimmage when identifying the defensive fronts and the blocking assignments for the rest of the line. Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for line of scrimmage 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of line of scrimmage was circa 1909

Dictionary Entries Near line of scrimmage

Cite this Entry

“Line of scrimmage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/line%20of%20scrimmage. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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