Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

back line

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.38 in modern English

Syllables: back- -line
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Collectively, the defenders of a team.

noun

The line running across the goal to the corners of the playing field.

noun

The players known as the backs, whose primary responsibility is defense.

noun

The imaginary tactical line across the field that passes through the backs, through their primary line of attack/defence (i.e. excluding any players in a more backward defensive position).

Example Sentences

"Battling Bolton disputed the goal, claiming Drogba was offside, but the Ivorian appeared to have timed his angled run across the visitors back line to perfection to race onto a fine Michael Essien pass and ensure Chelsea moved back into fourth place in the Premier League."
"A running fullback radically improves the attacking prowess of any back line, particularly if she is able to read a play, knowing when it's time to hit the line at pace or to join the line to act as an extra attacker."

Inflected Forms

back lines (plural)

Derived Forms

backliner

Questions

What does back line mean?: Collectively, the defenders of a team.

How to pronounce back line

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “back line”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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