1
: the offensive football back farthest from the line of scrimmage
2
British
: a line of vehicles caused by a traffic slowdown or stoppage
Examples of tailback in a Sentence
stuck in a five-mile tailback on the southbound carriageway
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s especially the case on offense, where speedy tailback Micahi Danzy was called a surprise by his position coach, David Johnson.
—
Bob Ferrante, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2024
Johnny Richardson is back for his final season and the speedy tailback has been the yang to Harvey’s ying.
—Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel, 28 July 2024
Potential concerns for the Volunteers are the depth at tailback plus the combination of youth and inexperience in the secondary, which lost 11 players, including all four starters, to the transfer portal or the NFL Draft.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 23 July 2024
Expected to eventually make an impact are 2023 Under Armour All-Americans Myles Graham, whose father, Earnest Graham, is a former Gators tailback, and Aaron Chiles, a rangy 6-foot-3, 227-pound Maryland native.
—Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 20 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for tailback 
Bob Ferrante, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2024
Johnny Richardson is back for his final season and the speedy tailback has been the yang to Harvey’s ying.
—Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel, 28 July 2024
Potential concerns for the Volunteers are the depth at tailback plus the combination of youth and inexperience in the secondary, which lost 11 players, including all four starters, to the transfer portal or the NFL Draft.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 23 July 2024
Expected to eventually make an impact are 2023 Under Armour All-Americans Myles Graham, whose father, Earnest Graham, is a former Gators tailback, and Aaron Chiles, a rangy 6-foot-3, 227-pound Maryland native.
—Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 20 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for tailback
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tailback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tailback
Cite this Entry
“Tailback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailback. Accessed 9 Sep. 2024.
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