🏈 A rushing defender ⚡ A sudden attacker

blitzer

24 7.8

A defensive player in American football who runs at the quarterback to disrupt the play

noun
/ˈblɪtsər/

Jargon

: blitzer

How about Wolf Blitzer, CNN's top journalist—he is a former AIPAC member.

Examples

My view was not great, but it looked like on at least one of these, Rivers would have been sacked by a blitzer if the play was live, and so the secondary was being asked to cover longer than the play was designed for.

Blog text (10)
And Richie Incognito missed the blitzer who had a free run at Tannehill right up the gut.

Blog text (28)
He can play press and off coverage; he is very good at coming up to tackle, and he is versatile, so he can cover slots or wideouts as well as check tight ends and be a tremendous blitzer off the edge if needed.

Blog text (17)
Buy some time, or run for daylight to move the chains. Key to the outcome. Conversely, we need to be harassing LSU's QB all day long - from the fans in the stands to the DEs to the blitzers, etc. Make him unsettled.

Blog text (7)
The blitzer sprinted through the offensive line to sack the quarterback.
As a skilled blitzer, he consistently pressured the quarterback during the game.
The coach instructed the defense to send a blitzer to disrupt the opposing team's play.

Synonyms

sacker

vsblitzer

1 7.2

A player who tackles the opposing quarterback behind the line

rushes the quarterback quickly to disrupt the play without necessarily making a tackle

Surface Forms

blitzer singular

blitzers plural

Morphology

blitzer = blitz (semi-transparent) = blitz + er

The word clearly means 'one who blitzes', but the football-specific sense is somewhat specialized.

Etymology

Blitzer comes from the German word blitz, which means 'lightning'. In American football a blitzer rushes the quarterback in a fast, surprise move like a flash of lightning, so the origin explains the sudden, powerful action.