onside kick

or onsides kick

noun

, Football.

1. a kickoff deliberately kicked a short distance in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball by recovering it after it has traveled forward the legally required distance of 10 yards, beyond the 50-yard line.

Word History and Origins

Origin of onside kick¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Longstreet completed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Cory Butler after Mission Viejo failed on an onside kick late in the half.

From Los Angeles Times

Karty kicked another field goal with 39 seconds left to draw the Rams within eight points again, but the Dolphins recovered an onside kick to clinch the victory.

From Los Angeles Times

Rutgers went on to score a touchdown with 1 minute 23 seconds left and would have had a chance to win the game had it recovered an onside kick snagged by UCLA’s Grant Gray.

From Los Angeles Times

The Chargers needed to watch a late onside kick attempt swirl out of bounds to avoid disaster in a game they led by 23 points.

From Los Angeles Times

Carter covered a loose ball on the onside kick and Thomas took a knee to secure Palisades’ eighth straight win against the Comets.

From Los Angeles Times