1
: the offensive football back farthest from the line of scrimmage
2
British
: a line of vehicles caused by a traffic slowdown or stoppage
Examples of tailback in a Sentence
stuck in a five-mile tailback on the southbound carriageway
Recent Examples on the Web
Most notably, both tackle Patrick Paul and tailback Jaylen Wright, the latter of whom was invited but didn’t play in the game due to injury, caught scouts eyes in 2024.
—
C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2025
The departure of tailback Cam Skattebo likely means defenses will turn their focus to Leavitt.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
Mason, meanwhile, led the 49ers’ in rushing yards (789 yards) and his rushing average (5.2 yards) was the best among the team’s tailbacks.
—Matt Barrows, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
The last four teams standing in the AFC — Kansas City (Hunt), Buffalo (James Cook), Baltimore (Travis Henry) and Houston (Joe Mixon) — all featured at least one tailback who carried the rock 170 times or more during the regular season.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tailback 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2025
The departure of tailback Cam Skattebo likely means defenses will turn their focus to Leavitt.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
Mason, meanwhile, led the 49ers’ in rushing yards (789 yards) and his rushing average (5.2 yards) was the best among the team’s tailbacks.
—Matt Barrows, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
The last four teams standing in the AFC — Kansas City (Hunt), Buffalo (James Cook), Baltimore (Travis Henry) and Houston (Joe Mixon) — all featured at least one tailback who carried the rock 170 times or more during the regular season.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tailback
Dictionary Entries Near tailback
Cite this Entry
“Tailback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailback. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share