linebacker
noun
line·back·er
ˈlīn-ˌba-kər 
: a defensive football player who lines up immediately behind the line of scrimmage to make tackles on running plays through the line or defend against short passes
Examples of linebacker in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Middle: Cedric Gray – North Carolina My favorite linebacker in this class, Gray registered more than 100 tackles in each of his last three college seasons.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Here are five positions primed for succession planning entering the 2024 NFL Draft:
Inside linebacker
Longtime leader Shaq Thompson turned 30 on Sunday.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2024
Foster said the middle linebackers have been chosen to receive the communications on defense.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Round 7: Jaylon Ford, linebacker, Texas The Cowboys double dip at linebacker with an All-Big 12 performer who has a knack for getting his hands on the ball in passing game.
—Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2024
The linebacker/safety was a Class of 2023 three-star prospect coming out of Life Christian Academy in Virginia.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024
With this in mind, Zierlein noted that Carlies would likely have to move to linebacker to make it in the NFL.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 19 Apr. 2024
But the sports guesses were close enough: Koala was revealed to be former NFL linebacker DeMarcus Ware.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024
One solution could be moving linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo to edge rusher, an enticing possibility given his ability to shed blockers in early spring practices.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Here are five positions primed for succession planning entering the 2024 NFL Draft:
Inside linebacker
Longtime leader Shaq Thompson turned 30 on Sunday.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2024
Foster said the middle linebackers have been chosen to receive the communications on defense.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Round 7: Jaylon Ford, linebacker, Texas The Cowboys double dip at linebacker with an All-Big 12 performer who has a knack for getting his hands on the ball in passing game.
—Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2024
The linebacker/safety was a Class of 2023 three-star prospect coming out of Life Christian Academy in Virginia.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024
With this in mind, Zierlein noted that Carlies would likely have to move to linebacker to make it in the NFL.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 19 Apr. 2024
But the sports guesses were close enough: Koala was revealed to be former NFL linebacker DeMarcus Ware.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024
One solution could be moving linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo to edge rusher, an enticing possibility given his ability to shed blockers in early spring practices.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'linebacker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near linebacker
Cite this Entry
“Linebacker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/linebacker. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
linebacker
noun
line·back·er
ˈlīn-ˌbak-ər
: a football player on the defending team whose usual position is a short distance in back of the line of scrimmage
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share