Synonyms and antonyms of Players and positions in various sports in British Thesaurus

all-American (adjective)

an all-American player is a student at a high school, college, or university in the US who has officially been called one of the best in their particular sport

A. N. Other (noun)

British a member of a sports team who has not been chosen yet, so that you cannot give their real name in a list of players

back (noun)

a player in a football or hockey team whose job is to defend (=stop the other team from scoring goals)

back (noun)

one of the positions on a team where a back plays, behind the front line of players

back three/four/five ()

the players in a football or hockey team whose job is to defend (=stop the other team from scoring goals)

ballplayer (noun)

American someone who plays baseball, especially as their job

blue (noun)

a person who has played for Oxford University or Cambridge University in a sport

boy (noun)

British the members of a sports team

cap (noun)

a player who has played for their country’s team

centre (noun)

a player in some team sports whose position is in the middle of the line of attacking players

centre forward (noun)

British the person in the centre of the front row of attacking players in some team sports

club (noun)

a team of sports players and the staff who work with them: can be followed by a singular or plural verb

conference (noun)

a group of teams that play against each other

crosstrainer (noun)

someone who trains in more than one sport

defence (noun)

the players in a team game who try to prevent the other team from scoring points

defender (noun)

a player whose job is to stop the other team scoring in a game such as football

defensive (adjective)

a defensive player tries to stop the other team from scoring points

dream team (noun)

a perfect team made up of the best players

the field (noun)

the team in baseball, cricket etc that is throwing the ball and trying to catch it when the other team hits it: can be followed by a singular or plural verb

fielder (noun)

a player in cricket, baseball, and some other team sports whose job is to catch or pick up the ball when a player from the other team hits it

finalist (noun)

a player or team that takes part in the final game in a competition

first-string (adjective)

American first-string players in a sports team are the best players

forward (noun)

a player in a game such as basketball, football, or hockey whose job is to attack the other team and score

free agent (noun)

mainly American a player who is available to sign a contract with any team

front man (noun)

British a player who plays near the other team’s goal and tries to score in a sport such as football

fullback (noun)

in sports such as football or hockey, a defensive position near your team’s goal or a player in this position

goalie (noun)

informal a goalkeeper

goalkeeper (noun)

the player whose job is to stop the ball going into the goal in games such as football

halfback (noun)

in rugby or hockey, a player who plays in front of the defending players but is not in an attacking position

halfback (noun)

old-fashioned in football, a player who plays in midfield

hitter (noun)

someone who hits a ball, especially in tennis and baseball

international (noun)

someone who plays in an international sports match

junior (noun)

a young person who is involved in a particular activity, especially sport

keeper (noun)

Britishinformal a goalkeeper

ladder (noun)

a list of the names of all the players in a sports competition in order, with the best player at the top

league (noun)

a group of teams or players who regularly compete against one another, put in order according to how many points they have won

league table (noun)

British a list of teams or players put in order according to how many points they have won in matches or competitions against each other

line-up (noun)

a team of players who play in a particular sports game

marker (noun)

a player whose job is to stay close to a member of the other team in a game such as football in order to prevent them from getting the ball or playing effectively

midfield (noun)

the players who play in the middle part of the field in games played with a ball such as football

midfielder (noun)

a player who plays in midfield

midget (adjective)

Canadian in amateur sport, relating to an age level between the ages of 15 and 17

MVP (noun)

American Most Valuable Player: the best player in a team in sports such as baseball and football

offense (noun)

the members of a team in a game such as American football whose job is to try to score points

outfielder (noun)

a player in the outfield

player (noun)

someone who plays a particular game or sport

professional (noun)

someone who plays a sport or does an activity as a job rather than for enjoyment

qualifier (noun)

a player or team that wins a qualifier

racer (noun)

someone or something that competes in a race

the reserves (noun)

a player who has not been chosen to play in a particular match but who is available to play if needed

the reserves (noun)

a team consisting of players who have not been chosen to play for the main team

right-winger (noun)

someone who plays on the right side of a field for a team when it is facing its opponents in games such as football and hockey

roster (noun)

a list of all the players who belong to a particular team

scorer (noun)

a player who scores a point in a game

seed (noun)

a player or team that has been given a number that shows how likely they are to win a competition

semifinalist (noun)

a person or team who plays in a semifinal

server (noun)

the player who hits the ball to start the play in a game such as tennis

shooter (noun)

a player who shoots the ball

side (noun)

a sports team

signing (noun)

British a player who has recently signed a contract to join a sports team

sportsman (noun)

a man who plays sport, especially a professional player

sportswoman (noun)

a woman who plays sport, especially a professional player

squad (noun)

a sports team

squad (noun)

British a large group of players from which a team is chosen

standings (noun)

mainly American a list of teams or players put in order according to how many points they have won in matches or competitions against each other. The usual British word is table.

striker (noun)

a football player whose main job or skill is scoring goals

string (noun)

American a group of players of the same level of ability

sub (noun)

informal a substitute, especially someone who plays instead of another player in a sport

substitute (noun)

a player who replaces another member of his or her team during a match

sweeper (noun)

a player in a football team who plays behind the players in defence

team (noun)

a group of people who play a sport or a game against another group: can be followed by a singular or plural verb

team (noun)

of a team

tourist (noun)

British a member of a sports team that is travelling to different countries to play a series of games

transfer (noun)

a person such as a football player who has been moved from one team to another

unmarked (adjective)

in sport, an unmarked player has a lot of freedom to move because they are not being marked by a player from the other team

the visitors (noun)

a team who have travelled to their opponents’ sports ground to play against them, for example in a football match

wild card (noun)

a player who has this permission

wing (noun)

a player who plays on the left or right side in football, hockey, and some other sports

winger (noun)

one of the players in a game such as football, rugby, or hockey who play mainly down the right or left side of the field