triple-team

verb

tri·​ple-team ˈtri-pəl-ˌtēm How to pronounce triple-team (audio)
triple-teamed; triple-teaming; triple-teams

transitive verb

: to block or guard (an opponent) with three players at one time
triple-team noun

Examples of triple-team in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Kelce caught four passes despite, as the docuseries mentioned, being triple-teamed at one point. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Dec. 2025 Willis wasn’t complaining about getting double and sometimes triple-teamed inside. — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026 The Vaqueros are triple-teaming Cunningham, giving the Longhorns time to find a good shot. — Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 10 Dec. 2025 That didn't last long, as Fielder often saw double-teams, triple-teams and junk defenses that became standard by the latter stretch of the season. — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for triple-team

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of triple-team was in 1973

Rhymes for triple-team

See All Rhymes for triple-team

Browse Nearby Words

tripletail
triple-team
triple thread
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Triple-team.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triple-team. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All