Meaning & use
gang tackle
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablesport
In American football, a tackle made by two or more defenders at the same time.
Grammar: Countable: one gang tackle, two gang tackles.
Patterns
- make a gang tackle
- a gang tackle on someone
The linebacker and the safety made a gang tackle on the running back.
Their defense is known for gang tackles that stop runners for a loss.
verbtransitivesport
In sports, to stop and bring down an opposing player by several defenders together.
Grammar: Takes an object: gang-tackle the runner. Often used in the passive.
Patterns
- gang-tackle someone
- be gang-tackled by someone
The coaches teach the linemen to gang-tackle the ball carrier near the sideline.
He was gang-tackled by three defenders before he could reach the first-down marker.
Word forms
| plural | gang tackles |
|---|---|
| third person singular | gang-tackles |
| past tense | gang-tackled |
| past participle | gang-tackled |
| -ing form | gang-tackling |
Common combinations
- make a gang tackle
- The rookie made a gang tackle that fired up the crowd.
- a gang tackle on the runner
- The replay showed a clean gang tackle on the runner.
- gang-tackle the ball carrier
- Defenders must gang-tackle the ball carrier to prevent extra yards.
- be gang-tackled
- He was gang-tackled just short of the goal line.
Synonyms and how they differ
- swarm tackle
- Similar but often suggests many defenders quickly surrounding the player, while gang tackle simply emphasizes more than one tackler.
- assisted tackle
- More formal and statistical; it counts a defender who helps, not necessarily a group of several.
Opposites
Word family
- tackle verb
- To stop and bring down an opposing player.
- tackler noun
- A player who makes a tackle.
- tackling noun
- The act or skill of stopping opposing players.
Commonly confused: gang tackle or gang up on?
gang tackle vs gang up on
A phrasal verb meaning to join together against someone; gang tackle is a sports term for a joint tackle, not general hostility.
Practice
Which sentence uses "gang tackle" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Make a gang tackle on someone" is the natural pattern; "tackle to" is wrong, "gang tackled on" needs no "on," and the runner does not tackle the defenders.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gang tackle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.