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redshirt

noun
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red·​shirt | \ ˈred-ˌshərt How to pronounce redshirt (audio) \

Definition of redshirt

: a college athlete who is kept out of varsity competition for a year in order to extend eligibility
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Other Words from redshirt

redshirt verb

Examples of redshirt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His game - Penn State lost quarterback Sean Clifford to injury early in the third quarter, but redshirt freshman Will Levis was more than adequate. — George Schroeder, USA TODAY, "No. 2 Ohio State clinches Big Ten East title with defeat of No. 9 Penn State," 24 Nov. 2019 The redshirt freshman finished the first half going 9-of-16 for 169 yards and a score while adding 25 yards on the ground. — Evan Dudley, al, "Quarter-by-quarter look at UAB’s 20-14 win over LA Tech," 23 Nov. 2019 Other than the Bowling Green scrimmage (four catches), the redshirt freshman had been held to four total catches since his three-catch debut in the opener at Louisville. — Mike Berardino, Indianapolis Star, "Notre Dame football blasts Boston College on senior day," 23 Nov. 2019 The 6-foot-6, 324-pound redshirt freshman is the Nittany Lions’ starting left tackle. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, "Ohio State-Penn State is an equal talent game ... and these Nittany Lion standouts could have been Buckeyes," 20 Nov. 2019 Whittaker is a redshirt freshman with great size (6-5, 222). — Teddy Greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Pat Fitzgerald has had it with Northwestern’s abysmal quarterback play: ‘They were not prepared ... and it shows’," 18 Nov. 2019 Mills, a redshirt freshman, made a short-range jumper and added a pair of free throws to give UH its first lead since the opening minutes. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, "BYU buzzer-beater brings down UH," 16 Nov. 2019 The more pressing concerns are twofold: stopping Brock Purdy and making sure the offensive line holds up without redshirt freshman right guard Junior Angilau (MCL sprain). — Nick Moyle, ExpressNews.com, "Texas faces a challenge in Iowa State’s Brock Purdy," 15 Nov. 2019 Winston DeLattiboudere and Mohamed Ibrahim met for the first time when the latter made an official visit in 2016 to the University of Minnesota and was paired up with the former, who was a redshirt freshman at that time. — Edward Lee, baltimoresun.com, "Winston DeLattiboudere, Mohamed Ibrahim, linked by Baltimore roots, help Minnesota football to historic start," 8 Nov. 2019

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

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First Known Use of redshirt

1955, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for redshirt

from the red jersey commonly worn by such a player in practice scrimmages against the regulars

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Time Traveler for redshirt

Time Traveler

The first known use of redshirt was in 1955

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Statistics for redshirt

Last Updated

27 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Redshirt.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/redshirt. Accessed 8 December 2019.

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More Definitions for redshirt

redshirt

noun
How to pronounce redshirt (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of redshirt

US, sports : a college athlete who practices with a team but does not play any official games

See the full definition for redshirt in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with redshirt

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