linebacker

From line +‎ backer.

linebacker (plural linebackers)

1. (American football) The defensive players who are in position behind the defensive linemen and in front of the safeties and cornerbacks and whose principal responsibilities are to tackle runners and to defend against shorter passes.

   The linebacker corralled the runner who had slipped through the hole.

   • 2007 January 1, Karen Crouse, “With Wild-Card Spot Clinched, Jets Can Finally Talk Playoffs”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     While Brown distracted the usually hyperfocused Mangini, safety Kerry Rhodes and linebackers Eric Barton and Jonathan Vilma grabbed a cooler of Gatorade and surreptitiously assumed their positions according to plan.

   • 2024 December 2, David Close, “Houston Texans head coach defends Azeez Al-Shaair as the NFL leans toward suspending the linebacker, source says”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans defended Azeez Al-Shaair after the linebacker was ejected from Sunday’s game for throwing a late hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Unadapted borrowing from English linebacker.

• IPA^(key): /laimˈbakeɾ/ [lãĩmˈba.keɾ]
• Rhymes: -akeɾ

linebacker m (plural linebackers)

1. (American football) linebacker

   Synonym: apoyador

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.