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
Coy Collins, Villa Park, RB The son of former Loara standout tailback Coy Collins, the sophomore has been a revelation for the Spartans.
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Dan Albano, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
The former Seattle Seahawks tailback and his wife, who tied the knot in 2002, share 10 daughters and 3 sons — Judea, Hope, Hosanna, Eternity, Torah, Jedidiah, Honor, Temple, Justus, Joseph, Eden, Trinity and Heaven.
—Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
The tailback picked up a nice block from left guard Connor Colby, then scooted to the Arizona 16-yard line.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
On third-and-9, McCown found the tailback in the flat, and Henry made one man miss before outrunning the rest of the CSU defense down the sideline to the end zone.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailback
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Dan Albano, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
The former Seattle Seahawks tailback and his wife, who tied the knot in 2002, share 10 daughters and 3 sons — Judea, Hope, Hosanna, Eternity, Torah, Jedidiah, Honor, Temple, Justus, Joseph, Eden, Trinity and Heaven.
—Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
The tailback picked up a nice block from left guard Connor Colby, then scooted to the Arizona 16-yard line.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
On third-and-9, McCown found the tailback in the flat, and Henry made one man miss before outrunning the rest of the CSU defense down the sideline to the end zone.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailback
Cite this Entry
“Tailback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailback. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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