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halfback

American  
[haf-bak, hahf-] / ˈhæfˌbæk, ˈhɑf- /

noun

  1. Football.

    1. one of two backs who typically line up on each side of the fullback.

    2. the position played by such a back.

  2. (in soccer, Rugby, field hockey, etc.) a player stationed near the forward line to carry out chiefly offensive duties.

halfback British  
/ ˈhɑːfˌbæk /

noun

  1. rugby either the scrum half or the stand-off half

  2. old-fashioned soccer any of three players positioned behind the line of forwards and in front of the fullbacks

  3. any of certain similar players in other team sports

  4. the position of a player who is halfback

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of halfback

First recorded in 1880–85; half + back 1

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Chicago’s only other No. 1 pick was Michigan halfback Tom Harmon in 1941.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2024

“I played halfback, fullback and emergency tight end, and I started on five special teams. I get confused on one play, and they never let me forget it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2023

Along with halfback Eugene “Mercury” Morris, they would form the nucleus of the Dolphins’ fearsome ’72 rushing attack.

From Washington Post • Jan. 13, 2023

Hadl played both halfback and quarterback his final two seasons, helping Kansas go 14-5-2 over the span.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2022

He was about to be a junior at the black high school, where he made all A’s and played halfback on the football team.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.