: a run made in football after catching an opponent's kick or intercepting a pass
Examples of runback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With Ritt’s runback with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter, coach Chuck Kyle called for a 2-point conversion.
—
Matt Goul, cleveland, 5 Nov. 2022
Two epic plays: James Harrison’s 100-yard interception runback for a touchdown as the clock ran out in the first half and Santonio Holmes’ unbelievable catch of a Ben Roethlisberger pass to win the game in the waning seconds.
—Al Michaels, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2022
Auburn hasn’t allowed many big returns on either kickoffs or punts and doesn’t return punts particularly well, but kickoff return man Nehemiah Pritchett saved the Tigers with a 72-yard runback vs. Georgia State.
—Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 24 Nov. 2021
Fleurima, a senior, scored his first career return touchdown with a 32-yard runback in the first quarter.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, chicagotribune.com, 16 Oct. 2021
See all Example Sentences for runback 
Matt Goul, cleveland, 5 Nov. 2022
Two epic plays: James Harrison’s 100-yard interception runback for a touchdown as the clock ran out in the first half and Santonio Holmes’ unbelievable catch of a Ben Roethlisberger pass to win the game in the waning seconds.
—Al Michaels, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2022
Auburn hasn’t allowed many big returns on either kickoffs or punts and doesn’t return punts particularly well, but kickoff return man Nehemiah Pritchett saved the Tigers with a 72-yard runback vs. Georgia State.
—Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 24 Nov. 2021
Fleurima, a senior, scored his first career return touchdown with a 32-yard runback in the first quarter.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, chicagotribune.com, 16 Oct. 2021
See all Example Sentences for runback
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'runback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near runback
Cite this Entry
“Runback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/runback. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
runback
noun
run·back
ˈrən-ˌbak 
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share