running back

Definition of running back

: a football back (such as a halfback or fullback) who carries the ball on running plays

Examples of running back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With running back Khalil Herbert nursing a sore hamstring, give me the Canes and the new King of Coral Gables in a blowout. — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, "Picking games a masquerade during pandemic," 12 Nov. 2020 On the Ravens' two longest drives — a 68-yarder that ended with running back Gus Edwards' red-zone fumble and a 75-yarder that put the Ravens ahead 21-10 — Jackson passed on first down at least half the time. — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "Greg Roman isn’t worried about defenses ‘calling out plays.’ The Ravens' struggles are bigger than that.," 12 Nov. 2020 Even without top running back Max Borghi, Washington State was still able to establish the run with Deon McIntosh against Oregon State. — oregonlive, "Can Oregon defensive coordinator Andy Avalos stifle Washington State’s Run and Shoot offense again?," 12 Nov. 2020 Karr scored just seven points in the quarter, on running back Kevin Marigny's 1-yard run. — Darrell Williams, NOLA.com, "Quarterback Anterious Samuels, stingy Karr defense lead way in win over Belle Chasse," 12 Nov. 2020 The top 10 linebackers have the third-lowest cumulative WAR among all positions, barely above running back. — John Owning, Dallas News, "Film room: Five early options the Cowboys could consider with a top-five pick in the 2021 NFL draft," 11 Nov. 2020 While Hilton is no doubt off to a slow start this season, his 22 receptions still rank third on the team behind running back Nyheim Hines (26) and fellow receiver Zach Pascal (24) despite playing one fewer game than both. — Jim Ayello, The Indianapolis Star, "Colts news: T.Y. Hilton primed to play vs. Titans on Thursday night; Jack Doyle out," 11 Nov. 2020 The Buckeyes stuck with a season-long running back rotation in 2018 that didn’t really benefit either Mike Weber or J.K. Dobbins. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, "3 playing time decisions Ohio State football may have to face -- Doug Lesmerises," 11 Nov. 2020 Since first-string running back Austin Ekeler suffered a hamstring injury Oct. 4 against the Buccaneers, the Chargers have yet to find his undisputed replacement. — Emmanuel Morgan Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Chargers’ Josh Kelley struggling a bit with his confidence," 10 Nov. 2020

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

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Learn More about running back

Dictionary Entries near running back

running account

running backstay

Statistics for running back

Last Updated

17 Nov 2020

Cite this Entry

“Running back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/running%20back. Accessed 28 Nov. 2020.

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