Backfield

//ˈbækˌfild// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The rear part of the field of play, particularly; Synonym of outfield. rare
  2. 2
    the offensive football players who line up behind the linemen wordnet
  3. 3
    The rear part of the field of play, particularly; The area behind the line of scrimmage occupied before the snap by the team on offense.
  4. 4
    The rear part of the field of play, particularly; The area behind either the offensive or defensive line. US

    "Moving the ball directly out of the backfield is the greatest form of attack there is."

  5. 5
    The players occupying this area.

    "Maryland's football team practiced for the third straight day yesterday without its starting backfield."

Synonyms

All synonyms
outfieldpocket

Example

More examples

"Moving the ball directly out of the backfield is the greatest form of attack there is."

Etymology

From back + field.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.