line of scrimmage
noun phrase
: an imaginary line in football that is parallel to the goal lines and tangent to the nose of the ball laid on the ground and marks the position of the ball at the start of each down
Examples of line of scrimmage in a Sentence
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Twice, Chambliss appeared to be running for his life to avoid sacks, retreating well behind the line of scrimmage and changing direction before finding school yard-type completions during a 75-yard scoring drive that ended with Lacy’s second touchdown.
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Brett Martel, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Going up against a team many expected to repeat and a defense that ranked first nationally in the major categories, the Hurricanes dictated the tempo and the tone by dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
—Paul Myerberg, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Young never completed a ball more than five yards past the line of scrimmage, and Carolina’s receivers got no separation from Seattle’s defensive backs.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 1 Jan. 2026
When Colin Simmons joined Texas football as a raw but explosive edge rusher in the spring of 2024, then-defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski saw a pass-rushing chess piece that could exploit matchups all across the line of scrimmage.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 28 Dec. 2025
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Brett Martel, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Going up against a team many expected to repeat and a defense that ranked first nationally in the major categories, the Hurricanes dictated the tempo and the tone by dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
—Paul Myerberg, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Young never completed a ball more than five yards past the line of scrimmage, and Carolina’s receivers got no separation from Seattle’s defensive backs.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 1 Jan. 2026
When Colin Simmons joined Texas football as a raw but explosive edge rusher in the spring of 2024, then-defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski saw a pass-rushing chess piece that could exploit matchups all across the line of scrimmage.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for line of scrimmage
Cite this Entry
“Line of scrimmage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/line%20of%20scrimmage. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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