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Synonyms

halfback

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

noun

  1. Football.

    1. one of two backs back 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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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.