touchback

noun

touch·​back ˈtəch-ˌbak 

plural touchbacks

: a situation in football that typically occurs when the ball is downed (see down entry 3 sense 2) behind the goal line (as after a kickoff or punt) and that results in the team that is defending the goal putting the ball back in play on its own 20- or 25-yard line

Touchbacks on kickoffs will be moved to the 25-yard line, from the 20, to give teams an incentive not to run the ball out of the end zone, one of the most dangerous plays in the game.

—Ken Belson

The punter landed 27% of his kicks inside the 20-yard line while only four ended up in the endzone for a touchback.

—Branson Nash

compare safety sense 3a(1)

Examples of touchback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

They were called for two personal fouls, a silly unsportsmanlike conduct when kick coverage player Zion Elee was caught shoving after the whistle on a touchback and roughing the passer. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Dallas kicked off for a touchback, giving Baltimore possession at its own 35-yard line. — Mike Sando, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Instead, Brandon Aubrey’s kickoff sailed into the end zone for a touchback, and Lamar Jackson’s 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers moved the Ravens into position for a game-winning field goal. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

His other three kickoffs were in the end zone for touchbacks. — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 27 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for touchback

• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback

Kids Definition

touchback

noun

touch·​back ˈtəch-ˌbak 

: the act of downing a football behind the goal line after receiving a kick or intercepting a pass