RUNNING BACK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does running back mean? 

• RUNNING BACK (noun)
  The noun RUNNING BACK has 1 sense:

1. (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

  Familiarity information: RUNNING BACK used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RUNNING BACK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("running back" is a kind of...):

back ((football) a person who plays in the backfield)

Domain category:

football; 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)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "running back"):

fullback ((football) the running back who plays the fullback position on the offensive team)

halfback ((football) the running back who plays the offensive halfback position)

 Context examples 

Upon my word, rejoined Traddles, greatly delighted, if you had seen them running away, and running back again, after you had knocked, to pick up the combs they had dropped out of their hair, and going on in the maddest manner, you wouldn't have said so.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Why, you had scarce gone ere this loathly John came running back again, and, when I oped mouth to reproach him, he asked me whether it was indeed likely that a man of prayer would leave his own godly raiment in order to take a layman's jerkin.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)