touchback

noun

touch·​back ˈtəch-ˌbak 

plural touchbacks

: a situation in football that typically occurs when the ball is downed (see down entry 3 sense 2) behind the goal line (as after a kickoff or punt) and that results in the team that is defending the goal putting the ball back in play on its own 20- or 25-yard line

Touchbacks on kickoffs will be moved to the 25-yard line, from the 20, to give teams an incentive not to run the ball out of the end zone, one of the most dangerous plays in the game.

—Ken Belson

The punter landed 27% of his kicks inside the 20-yard line while only four ended up in the endzone for a touchback.

—Branson Nash

compare safety sense 3a(1)

Examples of touchback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After Nixon was named a first-team All-Pro for his kick-return prowess in both 2022 and 2023, the NFL enacted a rule change that moved touchbacks from the 25-yard line to the 30 for the 2024 season. —Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025

Other big changes include moving touchbacks to the 35-yard line, more replay assists on penalties, adjustments to Thursday Night Football flexing, and some changes to uniform rules. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025

Buffalo will now take over on its own 20 after a touchback on the punt. 4d ago / 5:33 PM PST Copied Share In second half, can Bills get a stop? —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2025

Wright, like Moody, was injured making a tackle on a kickoff return — plays that wouldn’t be necessary with a touchback. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for touchback

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

Kids Definition

touchback

noun

touch·​back ˈtəch-ˌbak 

: the act of downing a football behind the goal line after receiving a kick or intercepting a pass