tackle

1 of 2

noun

tack·​le ˈta-kəl 

nautical often

ˈtā- 

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

Illustration of tackle

• tackle 2b

tackle

2 of 2

verb

tackled; tackling ˈta-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

ˈta-k(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms of tackle

Noun

• equipment
• gear
• material(s)
• stuff
• apparatus
• kit

Verb

• undertake
• approach
• address
• wade (in or into)
• attack
• dive (into)
• have at
• pursue

Examples of tackle in a Sentence

Noun

a box for fishing tackle

He made two tackles in the first half.

Verb

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 on the Web

Noun

The 6-foot-5, 258-pound rising sophomore found his way into the Aggies' pass rush rotation last season, logging 133 snaps and finishing with 2½ sacks, 21 tackles and 3½ tackles for loss. —Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026

Now, Moses is the Patriots’ right tackle and Downing their wide receivers coach. —Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026

Verb

By mounting it on satellites, operators could easily tackle satellites marked as a threat. —Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 5 Feb. 2026

For the world’s poor, that means tackling hunger, poverty and disease directly. —Bjorn Lomborg, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1600, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Phrases Containing tackle

• block and tackle
• gang-tackle
• nose tackle

Rhymes for tackle

• cackle
• crackle
• hackle
• jackal
• shackle
• vakil
• ramshackle
• tabernacle
• zodiacal

Kids Definition

tackle

1 of 2 noun

tack·​le ˈtak-əl 

nautical often

ˈtāk- 

1

: a set of special equipment : gear

fishing tackle

2

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

3

a

: the act or an instance of tackling

b

: a football player who is positioned on the line of scrimmage and inside the ends

tackle

2 of 2 verb

tackled; tackling ˈtak-(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to seize or take hold of especially in order to stop or throw down

2

: to set about dealing with

tackle a problem

tackler

-(ə-)lər 

noun