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football words 50 words

September 14, 2009 By Ben Zimmer (New York, NY) Vocabulary.com Contributor Vocabulary.com Moderator
Some vocabulary from (American) football.

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Definitions Notes & Examples Words Only
  1. American football
    a game played by two teams of 11 players on a rectangular field 100 yards long; teams try to get possession of the ball and advance it across the opponents goal line in a series of (running or passing) plays
  2. ball carrier
    (football) the player who is carrying (and trying to advance) the ball on an offensive play
  3. blitz
    a swift and violent military offensive with intensive aerial bombardment
  4. completion
    a concluding action
  5. downfield
    toward or in the defending team's end of the playing field
  6. extra point
    in American football a point awarded for a successful place kick following a touchdown
  7. face mask
    mask that provides a protective covering for the face in such sports as baseball or football or hockey
  8. field goal
    a score in American football; a score made by kicking the ball between the opponents' goal posts
  9. football game
    any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
  10. football player
    an athlete who plays American football
  11. football team
    a team that plays football
  12. forward pass
    a pass to a receiver downfield from the passer
  13. fumble
    feel about uncertainly or blindly
  14. goal line
    a line marking each end of the playing field or pitch; where the goals stand
  15. goalpost
    one of a pair of posts (usually joined by a crossbar) that are set up as a goal at each end of a playing field
  16. gridiron
    a cooking utensil of parallel metal bars; used to grill fish or meat
  17. half-time
    involving half the standard or customary time for an activity
  18. handoff
    (American football) a play in which one player hands the ball to a teammate
  19. huddle
    a disorganized and densely packed crowd
  20. interception
    the act of intercepting; preventing something from proceeding or arriving
  21. juke
    a small roadside establishment in the southeastern United States where you can eat and drink and dance to music provided by a jukebox
  22. kick off
    commence officially
  23. kicker
    a player who kicks the football
  24. kickoff
    (football) a kick from the center of the field to start a football game or to resume it after a score
  25. lateral pass
    a pass to a receiver upfield from the passer
  26. line of scrimmage
    line parallel to the goal lines where football linesmen line up at the start of each play in American football
  27. linebacker
    a defensive football player who takes a position close behind the linemen
  28. linemen
    the football players who line up on the line of scrimmage
  29. midfield
    (sports) the middle part of a playing field (as in football or lacrosse)
  30. out-of-bounds
    outside the foul lines
  31. passing play
    (American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
  32. pigskin
    leather from the skin of swine
  33. placekicker
    (football) a kicker who makes a place kick for a goal
  34. professional football
    football played for pay
  35. punt
    an open flat-bottomed boat used in shallow waters and propelled by a long pole
  36. quarterback
    (football) the person who plays quarterback
  37. running back
    (football) a back on the offensive team (a fullback or halfback) who tries to advance the ball by carrying it on plays from the line of scrimmage
  38. running play
    (American football) a play in which a player attempts to carry the ball through or past the opposing team
  39. rush
    act or move at high speed
  40. safety
    the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
  41. scrimmage
    (American football) practice play between a football team's squads
  42. signal caller
    (American football) the position of the football player in the backfield who directs the offensive play of his team
  43. split end
    (football) an offensive end who lines up at a distance from the other linemen
  44. tackle
    seize and throw down an opponent player, who usually carries the ball
  45. tackler
    a football player who tackles the ball carrier
  46. tight end
    (football) an offensive end who lines up close to the tackle
  47. touch football
    a version of American football in which the ball carrier is touched rather than tackled
  48. touchback
    (American football) a play in which the opposing team has kicked the football into your end zone
  49. touchdown
    a score in American football; being in possession of the ball across the opponents' goal line
  50. yard line
    in football; line parallel to the goal lines indicating position on the field