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
Miami’s roster is full of holes at all but three positions — tailback, defensive tackle and inside linebacker — and the Dolphins have a little more than $3 million in cap space to work with, and there are very few avenues to create more.
—
Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
One versatile, speedy tailback who may catch the attention of scouts at next week’s NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis is Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson, who is training in South Florida at Bommarito Performance Systems.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Indiana tailback Kaelon Black, fresh off the national championship, bristled at the notion that his team was simply the product of the change in college football.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The Broncos also will need more production from tailbacks Jaleel McLaughlin and RJ Harvey, who combined for 41 rushing yards across just 10 carries against Buffalo.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tailback
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
One versatile, speedy tailback who may catch the attention of scouts at next week’s NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis is Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson, who is training in South Florida at Bommarito Performance Systems.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Indiana tailback Kaelon Black, fresh off the national championship, bristled at the notion that his team was simply the product of the change in college football.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The Broncos also will need more production from tailbacks Jaleel McLaughlin and RJ Harvey, who combined for 41 rushing yards across just 10 carries against Buffalo.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tailback
Cite this Entry
“Tailback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailback. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
