Illustration of tackle
- tackle 2b
1
: a set of the equipment used in a particular activity : gear
fishing tackle
2
a
: a ship's rigging
b
: an assemblage of ropes and pulleys arranged to gain mechanical advantage for hoisting and pulling
3
a
: the act or an instance of tackling
b(1)
: either of two offensive football players positioned on each side of the center and between guard and end
(2)
: either of two football players positioned on the inside of a defensive line
tackled; tackling
ˈta-k(ə-)liŋ 
1
a
: to seize, take hold of, or grapple with especially with the intention of stopping or subduing
b
: to seize and throw down or stop (an opposing player with the ball) in football
2
: to set about dealing with
tackle the problem
3
: to attach or secure with or as if with tackle
: to tackle an opposing player in football
Examples of tackle in a Sentence
Noun
a box for fishing tackle
He made two tackles in the first half.
Verb
The police officer tackled him as he tried to escape.
He was tackled at the line of scrimmage.
I'll tackle my homework later.
We found new ways to tackle the problem.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adam Jahns, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Playing right tackle at Oregon, Cornelius has versatility to slide inside to guard in the NFL with his broad build.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2025
Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Kitt-Denton ran down the left sideline to haul in a pass 40 yards downfield, then dodged and weaved another 20 yards before being tackled inside the 10-yard line.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tackle
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Noun
Defensive tackle Shemar Turner came next at No. 62.
—Adam Jahns, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Playing right tackle at Oregon, Cornelius has versatility to slide inside to guard in the NFL with his broad build.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
Backed by over 50 industry partners, including Atlassian and Salesforce, A2A represents Google’s vision of fostering collaborative AI architectures to tackle enterprise challenges.
—Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Kitt-Denton ran down the left sideline to haul in a pass 40 yards downfield, then dodged and weaved another 20 yards before being tackled inside the 10-yard line.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tackle
Cite this Entry
“Tackle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tackle. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
1
: a set of special equipment : gear
fishing tackle
2
: an arrangement of ropes and wheels for hoisting or pulling something heavy
3
a
: the act or an instance of tackling
b
: a football player who is positioned on the line of scrimmage and inside the ends
tackle
2 of 2 verb
tackled; tackling
ˈtak-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to seize or take hold of especially in order to stop or throw down
2
: to set about dealing with
tackle a problem
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