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line of scrimmage
noun phrase
: an imaginary line in football that is parallel to the goal lines and tangent to the nose of the ball laid on the ground and marks the position of the ball at the start of each down
Examples of line of scrimmage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But throws from a quarterback while running away from the line of scrimmage?
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2024
One of the toughest aspects of playing along the offensive line in the NFL is understanding and processing plays, checks and audibles at the line of scrimmage.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 May 2024
Saw a stat showing that 40 percent of his passes last season were thrown short, at or behind the line of scrimmage, in his seven wins.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
For the Ravens, Lamar Jackson is just 5-for-12 passing for 67 yards — with one of those completions to himself on a pass that was deflected at the line of scrimmage.
—Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2024
Among other things, the alignment allowed coaches to position a linebacker either in the middle of the field or on the line of scrimmage.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Kelly bounced back from a rough 2022 campaign to establish himself as one of the AFC's best centers once again, earning his fourth Pro Bowl nod after earning those honors in three straight seasons from 2019 to 2021.
—The Indianapolis Star, 30 Jan. 2024
Chandler Martin, Memphis (Liberty): Martin had eight tackles — five behind the line of scrimmage — and one sack in Memphis’ 36-26 triumph over Iowa State.
—Steve Megargee, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024
San Francisco controlled the line of scrimmage in the first half, rushing Mahomes and hemming him in the pocket.
—Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'line of scrimmage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1909, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of line of scrimmage was
circa 1909
Dictionary Entries Near line of scrimmage
Cite this Entry
“Line of scrimmage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/line%20of%20scrimmage. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
line of scrimmage
: an imaginary line in football parallel to the goal lines and running through the place the ball is laid before each play begins
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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