tailback

noun

tail·​back ˈtāl-ˌbak 

1

: the offensive football back farthest from the line of scrimmage

2

British : a line of vehicles caused by a traffic slowdown or stoppage

Synonyms of tailback

• jam
• congestion
• bottleneck
• snarl

Examples of tailback in a Sentence

stuck in a five-mile tailback on the southbound carriageway

Recent Examples on the Web

Leading the charge is fifth-year tailback Wayne Knight who has 345 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in just three games — matching the Bruins’ total rushing touchdown mark from last season. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Freshman Brian Bonner ripped off a 55-yard carry in the second quarter, but aside from that, UW tailbacks combined for just 51 yards on 15 carries. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

But 234-pound tailback Daniel Hill leads a Tide run game that has 382 yards and eight rushing touchdowns in two games. — Bob Ferrante, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026

But in many of those situations Achane was sharing the backfield with another tailback [mostly Raheem Mostert] or two, and was still involved in the passing game, catching passes out the backfield. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tailback

• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback