linebacker

line·back·er | \ ˈlīn-ˌba-kər

How to pronounce linebacker (audio)

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Definition of linebacker

: 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 Fittingly, the 5-11, 210-pounder also factored in at linebacker. — Matt Goul, cleveland, "Milestones for Medina, Keystone, Hudson’s Jake Vidmar and CVCA: Week 8 HS football top performances," 18 Oct. 2020 His father, Bradley Jennings, starred at linebacker for the Seminoles between 1997-2001, winning a national championship. — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football recruiting: Top-100 LB Branden Jennings flips to Wolverines," 16 Oct. 2020 In his final year, Etheridge is not just Louisville’s tackle leader at inside linebacker, but also second nationally in tackles for loss. — Cameron Teague Robinson, The Courier-Journal, "Dorian Etheridge off to a strong start, showing impact on and off the field for U of L," 16 Oct. 2020 Ulofoshio and Sirmon hope to improve the Huskies' play at inside linebacker this season. — oregonlive, "Coronavirus looks like the big winner in this college football season: Issues & Answers," 15 Oct. 2020 Without Wooten and Britt to rotate with them, McClain and Pappoe played almost every single snap against Arkansas with a little bit of help from safety Zion Puckett who played linebacker for a game. — Giana Han, al, "Auburn confident in its linebacker position despite loss of starters," 14 Oct. 2020 Rivera, whose father is Puerto Rican and whose mother is Mexican-American, played linebacker for nine seasons for the Bears and was a key figure in the historic 1985 defense that secured a championship in Super Bowl XX. — Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, "While Hispanic NFL fan base spirals, representation on the field among players, coaches still lagging," 14 Oct. 2020 The RedHawks, however, had good depth at linebacker. — Pat Disabato, chicagotribune.com, "Hold on: Illinois baseball recruit Jimmy Rolder ready to lead Marist in football while keeping his Power Five options open," 8 Oct. 2020 While most, if not all, his action will likely come one special teams, the move adds some depth at linebacker for a team that is without Leighton Vander Esch, who broke his collar bone in the season opener. — Dallas News, "Cowboys elevate rookie LB Francis Bernard from practice squad to active roster," 3 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'linebacker.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

22 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Linebacker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/linebacker. Accessed 29 Oct. 2020.

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