Meaning & use
placekicker
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Meaning
nouncountablesportAmerican
In American or Canadian football, a player whose job is to kick the ball from the ground, usually for field goals and extra points.
Grammar: Often shortened to 'kicker': the team's placekicker.
Patterns
- the placekicker for a team
The placekicker trotted onto the field with four seconds left.
Their placekicker has not missed a field goal this season.
A good placekicker needs calm nerves as much as a strong leg.
Word forms
| plural | placekickers |
|---|
Common combinations
- veteran placekicker
- The veteran placekicker has played for six teams.
- rookie placekicker
- The rookie placekicker nailed his first attempt from 50 yards.
- the team's placekicker
- The team's placekicker stayed late after practice to work on accuracy.
- sign a placekicker
- The club signed a placekicker after losing two close games.
Synonyms and how they differ
- kicker
- Kicker is the shorter everyday word and may also refer to a punter, while placekicker names the player who kicks a held or tee-ed ball.
- field-goal kicker
- Field-goal kicker names the main job, while placekicker also covers kickoffs and extra points.
- punter
- A punter drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground, unlike a placekicker, who kicks a ball set on the ground or held.
Word family
- placekick noun
- a kick at a ball held or set on the ground
- kickoff noun
- the kick that starts a half or follows a score
- field goal noun
- a kick that scores three points in football
Commonly confused: placekicker or punter?
placekicker vs punter
A punter kicks the ball from his hands to change field position, not to score. A placekicker kicks a stationary ball.
Practice
With the game tied in the final seconds, the coach sent in the ______ to try a 40-yard field goal.
Choose one answer.
The placekicker kicks field goals from a set ball. A punter drops and kicks the ball to the other team, so he would not attempt a field goal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “placekicker”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.