redshirt

noun

red·​shirt ˈred-ˌshərt 

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

redshirt verb

Examples of redshirt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Brazile, a redshirt senior, scored a career SEC-high 19 points. —Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026

Williams has appeared in three more games and averages eight more minutes than El Alfy but has only brought down four more offensive rebounds than the redshirt sophomore this season. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026

In one corner lies a redshirt sophomore transfer who has never started a game, passing for two touchdowns and three interceptions as Haynes King’s shadow. —Noah White, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026

Kupp, then a redshirt sophomore, caught eight passes for 145 yards with three touchdowns against an FBS opponent with four future Day 1 or 2 draft picks playing in its secondary. —Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for redshirt

• alert
• assert
• avert
• dessert
• divert
• evert
• exert
• inert
• insert
• invert
• nightshirt
• overt