From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlinebackerline‧back‧er /ˈlaɪnˌbækə $ -ər/ noun [countable] DSAa player in American football who tries to tackle members of the other team
Examples from the Corpus
linebacker• You could be a tight end, maybe a linebacker.• We love it when they bring linemen and linebackers.• The ball went straight into the arms of San Diego linebacker Kurt Gouveia.• The Patriots already have two inside linebackers they feel strongly about.• Middle linebacker Greg Biekert made 18 tackles.• Outside linebacker Mike Morton, making his first start since Rob Fredrickson went down with season-ending shoulder surgery, had eight tackles.• Johnstone played linebacker his junior and senior seasons, given his sheer athletic ability.• But there was still no evidence of a pass rush from anyone but second-year linebacker Willie McGinest. 