tackle

play

noun tack·le \ ˈta-kəl , naut often ˈtā- \

Definition of tackle

1 :a set of the equipment used in a particular activity :gear

fishing tackle

2 a :a ship's rigging

b :an assemblage of ropes and pulleys arranged to gain mechanical advantage for hoisting and pulling

3 a :the act or an instance of tackling

b (1) :either of two offensive football players positioned on each side of the center and between guard and end

(2) :either of two football players positioned on the inside of a defensive line

See tackle defined for English-language learners

See tackle defined for kids

Examples of tackle in a Sentence

a box for fishing tackle
He made two tackles in the first half.

Recent Examples of tackle from the Web

Immanuel Anderson, DB: Changed his name from Manny after leading the Hornets with 107 tackles, second most in the Big Sky.

— joe davidson, sacbee, "Sac State lacks running back experience. Can a transfer from the ACC help?," 30 Aug. 2017
The Cowboys have had success in recent years locking up offensive linemen to long-term deals with left tackle Tyron Smith and center Travis Frederick.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Stephen Jones: Hopefully making progress on Zack Martin extension," 30 Aug. 2017
Washington Redskins defensive tackle Phil Taylor is out for the season after tearing his left quadriceps tendon.

— New York Times, "University of Houston Postpones Game in Wake of Hurricane Harvey," 29 Aug. 2017
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Redskins defensive tackle Phil Taylor is out for the season after tearing his left quadriceps tendon.

— stephen whyno, The Seattle Times, "Redskins’ Taylor out for season with torn quadriceps tendon," 29 Aug. 2017
The Ravens saw the return of five players to Monday morning’s practice at their training facility in Owings Mills, including offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and rookie cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

— edward lee, baltimoresun.com, "Ronnie Stanley, Marlon Humphrey among five Ravens who returned to Monday’s practice," 28 Aug. 2017
Last season, the 105 girls playing the sport was nearly on par with the 107 boys playing tackle football.

— stephan wiebe, Alaska Dispatch News, "In Anchorage high schools, flag football is queen," 27 Aug. 2017
Sutton got all three of his tackle on his first seven plays on the field.

— jacob klinger, cleveland.com, "Cameron Sutton makes light splash in Steelers preseason debut vs. Colts," 27 Aug. 2017
Although the team said the timing was coincidental, the Eagles acquired defensive tackle Tim Jernigan from Baltimore almost at the same time Allen tore his pec, and Jernigan has been a training camp standout.

— les bowen, Philly.com, "Eagles' Beau Allen, back from pec tear, might play a bit vs. Jets," 25 Aug. 2017

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

Illustration of tackle

Origin and Etymology of tackle

Middle English takel; akin to Middle Dutch takel ship's rigging

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

tackle Synonyms

Synonyms

accoutrements (or accouterments), apparatus, gear, hardware, kit [chiefly British], material (s), matériel (or materiel), outfit, paraphernalia, stuff, equipment

Other Hunting and Fishing Terms

chum, covert, creel, flense, pitfall, seine, skulk, spoor, trawl

tackle

verb

Definition of tackle

tackled; tackling play \-k(ə-)liŋ\

transitive verb

1 a :to seize, take hold of, or grapple with especially with the intention of stopping or subduing

b :to seize and throw down or stop (an opposing player with the ball) in football

2 :to set about dealing with

tackle the problem

3 :to attach or secure with or as if with tackle

intransitive verb

:to tackle an opposing player in football

—

tackler

play \-k(ə-)lər\ noun

See tackle defined for English-language learners

Examples of tackle in a Sentence

The police officer tackled him as he tried to escape.
He was tackled at the line of scrimmage.
I'll tackle my homework later.
We found new ways to tackle the problem.

Recent Examples of tackle from the Web

Nearly 5,000 people had posted comments by the time Bevin's session ended, some favorable, thanking Bevin for tackling Kentucky's pension liabilities — which are at least more than $40 billion.

— deborah yetter, The Courier-Journal, "Gov. Bevin outlines concerns about state's public pension crisis during Facebook Live Q&A," 28 Aug. 2017
Sure, there are changes at every stage of life, but there are lots of monumental things that tend to happen in your twenties — tackling your first job, then losing that job, getting into a serious relationship, then getting out of it.

— beth anne macaluso, Redbook, "What Your Period Says About Your Health As You Get Older," 9 Aug. 2017
Because there’s a lot of contact going on without tackling to the ground.

— adam jude, The Seattle Times, "UW’s Chris Petersen on Husky Olympics, freshmen, academics and more," 8 Aug. 2017
Almost two years ago, Fred Fields and his wife bought a former bait and tackle store in Markham with plans to convert it for use as a church.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Church moves closer to opening in Markham," 7 Aug. 2017
Izpisúa Belmonte tackles the most difficult problems from conception to old age, including aging itself.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "From one cell to billions: Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte studies all stages of life," 5 Aug. 2017
From the country’s Presbyterian beginnings to today’s intense and highly scrutinized religious tests, our leaders have had to tackle the world’s biggest issues while still answering to a highly diverse religious nation.

— arthur aguilera, idahostatesman, "Idaho authors bring religion and politics to the table," 4 Aug. 2017
In the end, Bloys couldn’t escape a round of questions about what’s on deck for HBO without tackling the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones.

— joanna robinson, vanityfair.com, "HBO Teases the Return of Two Highly Anticipated Shows," 26 July 2017
Interest-rate waivers were extended to households with annual incomes of up to 1.8 million rupees, while laws to tackle building delays and protect home buyers came into effect on May 1.

— dhwani pandya, Bloomberg.com, "Modi's Fifty Million Homes Moonshot Looks Set to Miss Its Mark," 24 July 2017

First Known Use of tackle

1600

tackle Synonyms

Synonyms

dive (into), attack, wade (in or into)

Related Words

address, approach, face; buckle (down to), concentrate (on), focus (on), knuckle down (to), zero (in on); fall (to), pitch in, plunge (in), settle (down); pursue, take up, undertake

Near Antonyms

avoid, evade, shun; dally, dawdle, dillydally, fiddle (around), fool, idle, lag, mess, monkey (around), play, poke, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

TACKLE Defined for English Language Learners

tackle

verb

Definition of tackle for English Language Learners

: to forcefully seize (someone) and cause that person to fall to the ground
American football or rugby : to force (the player with the ball) to fall to the ground
soccer, field hockey, etc. : to try to get the ball from (an opposing player who has it)

TACKLE Defined for Kids

tackle

play

verb tack·le \ ˈta-kəl \

Definition of tackle for Students

tackled; tackling

1 :to seize and throw (a person) to the ground

2 :to begin working on

I decided to tackle the job.

tackle

noun

Definition of tackle for Students

1 :a set of special equipment

fishing tackle

2 :an arrangement of ropes and wheels for hoisting or pulling something heavy

3 :an act of seizing and throwing a person to the ground

4 :a football player positioned on the line of scrimmage

Learn More about tackle

See words that rhyme with tackle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tackle Spanish Central: Translation of tackle Nglish: Translation of tackle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tackle for Arabic speakers

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tackle

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Examples of tackle in a Sentence

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Illustration of tackle

Origin and Etymology of tackle

tackle Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Hunting and Fishing Terms

tackle

Definition of tackle

tackler

Examples of tackle in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tackle from the Web

First Known Use of tackle

tackle Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

TACKLE Defined for English Language Learners

tackle

Definition of tackle for English Language Learners

TACKLE Defined for Kids

tackle

Definition of tackle for Students

tackle

Definition of tackle for Students

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