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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
Green Bay owned the line of scrimmage, converted on third downs and constantly pressured Smith, who left the game with a knee injury midway through the third quarter.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
His command at the line of scrimmage audibling is unbelievable.
—Sean Treppedi, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
The Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Knights line up for the snap at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter of an NCAA football game at Gillette Stadium, Dec. 9, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass.
—CBS News, 14 Dec. 2024
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound rookie from UCLA burst off the line of scrimmage and barreled around Bears tight end Cole Kmet.
—Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec. 2024
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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 22 Dec. 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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