halfback
noun
half·back
| \ ˈhaf-ˌbak
, ˈhäf-\
, ˈhäf-\
Definition of halfback
1
: one of the backs stationed near either flank in football
2
: a player stationed immediately behind the forward line (as in field hockey, soccer, or rugby)
Examples of halfback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The first one was a halfback dive, with Patterson as the ball-carrier, early in the second quarter. — Rich Campbell, chicagotribune.com, "5 observations from rewatching the Bears’ Week 1 loss to the Packers, including Mitch Trubisky’s moment of truth and the defense’s sack machine," 7 Sep. 2019 That includes halfback Jason Huntley, who returned three kickoffs for touchdowns last season and topped 500 yards both rushing and receiving. — Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, "Alabama vs. New Mexico State 2019 live stream; time, TV channel, odds, watch online," 7 Sep. 2019 Northwestern halfback Otto Graham was the first player signed to the brand-new Browns franchise (of the upstart All-American Football Conference) in 1946, and team co-founder and coach Paul Brown converted him to quarterback. — The Si Staff, SI.com, "100 Figures Who Shaped the NFL’s First Century," 28 Aug. 2019 His first four passes were touched by Broncos and his only completion of the day was a halfback screen pass that went for zero yards. — Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, "Kurtenbach: You can’t brush off Jimmy Garoppolo’s horrible preseason debut," 19 Aug. 2019 And there are three carry-over injuries from last year that put center Weston Richburg (knee), halfback Jerick McKinnon (knee) and tight end Garrett Calek (back) as question marks for the opener. — John Clayton, courant.com, "NFL needs to shorten the preseason, and more takeaways from start of training camp," 12 Aug. 2019 Part of Coats’ confidence in his Titans this year is the return of senior halfback Josh Butler, last year’s offensive player of the year in the Palomar League. — Pomerado News, "Titans loaded for league repeat campaign," 22 Aug. 2019 Bellino was a unanimous All-America selection at halfback in 1960 and was also the winner of the Maxwell Award. — Baltimore Sun Staff, baltimoresun.com, "City grad, former McDaniel assistant added to Mount St. Mary’s basketball staff," 15 Aug. 2019 Louisville's offense will be centered on running the football, so blocking, even from the halfback and tight end positions, will be crucial. — Robert Rimpson, The Courier-Journal, "Will Jordan Davis and other Louisville football tight ends struggle this season?," 14 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'halfback.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for halfback
halfback
noun
English Language Learners Definition of halfback
American football
: a player on offense who lines up next to the fullback and who runs with the ball and blocks
: a defensive player in games like soccer and field hockey who is positioned in front of the fullback
See the full definition for halfback in the English Language Learners Dictionary
halfback
noun
half·back
| \ ˈhaf-ˌbak
, ˈhäf-\
, ˈhäf-\
Kids Definition of halfback
1
: a football player who runs with the ball and blocks
2
: a player positioned behind the forward line in some games (as soccer)