redshirt

noun

red·​shirt ˈred-ˌshərt How to pronounce redshirt (audio)
: 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 The 6-foot, 213-pound redshirt freshman played in four games last season. Calum McAndrew, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Joe Royer has two seasons of eligibility A redshirt season, depth and injuries resulted in Royer playing in 14 games over three seasons with four receptions for 24 yards. Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 9 Jan. 2024 On the other end of the ice redshirt junior Jane Gervais (10 saves) recorded her fifth shutout of the season. Journal Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2024 A redshirt season, depth and injuries resulted in Royer playing in 14 games over three seasons with four receptions for 24 yards. Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 9 Jan. 2024 After Lincoln Riley turned to Williams during Rattler's redshirt sophomore year at Oklahoma, Rattler rolled with it. Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 8 Jan. 2024 The redshirt sophomore scored a season-high 23 points, Lance Jones added 17 and No. 1 Purdue fended off a frantic late charge from the ninth-ranked Fighting Illini for an 83-78 victory. Michael Marot, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2024 The duel athlete started in 22 baseball games as a redshirt freshman in 2018-2019, reported Sports Illustrated. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024 The Broncos also have redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Tiller, who started the LA Bowl and should get a lot of reps this spring with Madsen still on the shelf. Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'redshirt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of redshirt was in 1955

Dictionary Entries Near redshirt

Cite this Entry

“Redshirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/redshirt. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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