linesman

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noun lines·man \ ˈlīnz-mən \

Definition of linesman

1 :lineman 1

2 :an official who assists a referee (as in football, tennis, or hockey) especially in determining if a ball, puck, or player is out-of-bounds or offside

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Recent Examples of linesman from the Web

The second half continued in much the same vein; City even had a glorious move and goal denied by the linesman's flag once again.

— SI.com, "Brighton 0-2 Manchester City: Citizens Eventually Break Down Resilient Seagulls to Claim Opening Win," 12 Aug. 2017
Where VAR will help is when there’s something like a handball and the referee was blocked from seeing it or when the ball crosses the goal line and the linesmen couldn’t see it or on offside.

— sam mcdowell, kansascity, "Sporting KC embracing addition of MLS instant replay, but there’s skepticism," 5 Aug. 2017
While video reviews can and should be used to determine things like whether the puck crossed the goal line, offside should be left to the linesmen.

— chris kuc, chicagotribune.com, "NHL's controversial offside video review system is not needed," 4 June 2017
Stefan Denolyubov, as the linesman, and Margita Gosheva, as his nemesis, are painfully on-target in this Bulgarian satire.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "SIFF 2017: Highlights of the film festival’s third week," 31 May 2017
Richard missed the series because of a suspension for slashing Boston's Hal Laycoe in the head and punching linesman Cliff Thompson.

— ap, USA TODAY, "NBA Finals: Cavs-Warriors Part III joins past championship trilogies," 26 May 2017
Richard missed the series because of a suspension for slashing Boston’s Hal Laycoe in the head and punching linesman Cliff Thompson.

— josh dubow, The Seattle Times, "Cavs-Warriors Part III joins past championship trilogies," 26 May 2017
Some sympathy card Soccer linesman Andrew McWilliam barfed on the sideline while performing his duties during a Scottish Premiership match, so referee Craig Thomason jokingly flashed him a red card.

— dwight perry / sideline chatter, The Seattle Times, "Up, up, up and away: O’s Trumbo hits a very high one," 12 May 2017
Using force with intent to injure an official is a 20-game suspension, which was what Calgary’s Dennis Wideman originally received for his attack on linesman Don Henderson.

— eric stephens, Orange County Register, "Ducks could be without Antoine Vermette after forward’s bad stick-wielding move," 15 Feb. 2017

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

First Known Use of linesman

1883

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linesman

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