linesman

noun lines·man \ ˈlīnz-mən \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

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

See linesman defined for English-language learners

See linesman defined for kids

Recent Examples of linesman from the Web

The Xolos argued the linesman had raised the offside flag before Atlas striker Milton Caraglio headed in the game-tying score in the 78th minute.

— ivan orozco, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Frustrated Xolos come away with another LIGA MX tie," 6 Apr. 2018
Vaughan Rody was the lone linesman for the rest of the game.

— mike brehm, USA TODAY, "Linesman Steve Barton taken off ice on stretcher after collision in Blue Jackets-Oilers game," 27 Mar. 2018
One of the linesmen for the final was Romania manager Costel Rădulescu, who clearly wanted to get the most out of his holiday.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 20 Weeks to Go - 'Victory or Death!' Argentina & Uruguay's Classic Final," 1 Feb. 2018
The linesman made a heck of a call to call it onside to be honest with you.

— george sipple, Detroit Free Press, "Red Wings' Jeff Blashill disagrees with Flyers' 2nd goal, not OT winner," 24 Jan. 2018
As linesman Dustin McCrank attempted to break up the altercation, Smith threw the official to the ice and continued to fight Hatcher.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Red Wings prospect throws down official before continuing fight," 8 Mar. 2018
The joke about being offside stems from the U.S. Open Cup match against the Chicago Fire last year when Wiedeman scored in extra-time, but the linesman ruled him offside.

— charlie hatch, Cincinnati.com, "Here's what FC Cincinnati's first practice of 2018 looked like," 18 Jan. 2018
The referees were Nicole Hertrich of Germany and Katarina Timglas of Germany, and the linesmen were Lisa Linnek of Germany and Johanna Tauriainen of Finland.

— author: helene elliott, Anchorage Daily News, "Sisters get the big goals as U.S. ends Canada’s streak and wins gold in hockey final," 22 Feb. 2018
The linesman had adjudged that Sane was standing in an offside position and interfering with play, however, the replays proved that the German was onside and the goal should have been awarded - VAR was not in use for the game.

— SI.com, "Manchester City Cruises Past Cardiff City Into Fifth Round of FA Cup," 28 Jan. 2018

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.