tailback

noun tail·back \ ˈtāl-ˌbak \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: tailback in a Sentence

Definition of tailback

1 : the offensive football back farthest from the line of scrimmage

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

See tailback defined for English-language learners

Examples of tailback in a Sentence

stuck in a five-mile tailback on the southbound carriageway

Recent Examples of tailback from the Web

What’s more, No. 1 running back Josh Adams declared for the draft but didn’t get picked, and two other tailbacks (C.J. Holmes, Deon McIntosh) and a wide receiver (Kevin Stepherson) were dismissed from the team in January.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "Post-Spring Top 25: Resetting the Pecking Order at the Offseason's Midpoint," 10 May 2018
USA TODAY Sports The Carolina Panthers already had their speedy, pass-catching tailback in Christian McCaffrey.

— lindsay h. jones, USA TODAY, "C.J. Anderson joins Carolina Panthers, will platoon with Christian McCaffrey," 7 May 2018
Gore trails the No. 3 tailback, former Lions standout Barry Sanders, another Hall of Famer, by 1,243 rushing yards.

— omar kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dolphins tailback Frank Gore is focused on being a contributor, not a mentor," 17 Apr. 2018
Padilla is now a senior and Robinson, a junior, is one the West's most coveted tailbacks.

— richard obert, azcentral, "Dynamic duos: Top 10 high school football tandems in Arizona," 22 May 2018
In graduate transfer news, former Cal tailback Tre Watson is headed to Texas.

— andy staples, SI.com, "How 'Scheduling for Success' Can Help the Pac-12 Keep Pace in the Playoff Era," 7 May 2018
The talented tailback has combined for more than 3,300 yards of offense from the line of scrimmage during his three seasons with the program.

— matt murschel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UMass is No. 120 in Orlando Sentinel preseason college football rankings," 29 Apr. 2018
The 5-foot-6, 199-pound tailback also returned 29 kickoffs in the last three seasons.

— larry holder, NOLA.com, "Think Aaron Stecker with new Saints RB Boston Scott," 28 Apr. 2018
But the Miami Dolphins’ newest tailback isn’t interested in merely being Kenyan Drake’s mentor.

— omar kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dolphins tailback Frank Gore is focused on being a contributor, not a mentor," 17 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of tailback

1930

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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TAILBACK Defined for English Language Learners

tailback

noun

Definition of tailback for English Language Learners

American football : a player on offense who runs with the ball and blocks
: a situation in which the flow of traffic is blocked and a long line of vehicles forms