defenseman

noun

de·​fense·​man di-ˈfen(t)s-mən How to pronounce defenseman (audio)
-ˌman
: a player in a sport (such as hockey) who is assigned to a defensive zone or position

Examples of defenseman 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.
This is the kind of money that second-pair defensemen will make in the future, meaning Buium doesn’t even need to reach his best-case development outcome to live up to this contract. — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Last season, star defenseman Quinn Hughes asked the Vancouver Canucks for a trade, which ultimately led to him joining the Minnesota Wild. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Makar has 136 goals and 507 points — both franchise records for a defenseman — in 470 career regular-season games. — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 28 Aug. 2026 Celebrini has been at Sharks Ice this week, taking part in informal skates with a handful of his teammates, including new defensemen Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba. — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defenseman

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of defenseman was in 1877

Browse Nearby Words

Defenseless Mennonite
defenseman
defense mechanism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defenseman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defenseman. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

defenseman

noun
de·​fense·​man -mən How to pronounce defenseman (audio)
-ˌman
: a player in a sport who is assigned to a defensive zone or position
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gist

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All