redshirt

[ red-shurt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

1. a high school or college athlete kept out of varsity competition for one year to develop skills and extend eligibility.
2. a child held back from starting kindergarten for one year, the practice of which is believed by some parents to give the child academic, athletic, and social advantages.
a character in a TV show or movie who dies soon after being first introduced:
She's a redshirt who won’t make it to the next scene.

verb (used with object)

1. to withdraw (an athlete) from varsity competition for one year.
2. to delay (a child) from starting kindergarten for one year:
  They redshirt their kids because they think it gives them a competitive edge.
to quickly kill off (a character) in a TV show or movie:
That guard is totally going to be redshirted in the next five minutes.

verb (used without object)

1. (of an athlete) to withdraw from varsity competition for one year:
  He redshirted in 2010, only to come back faster and stronger the following season.
2. to delay a child from starting kindergarten for one year:
  Would you redshirt if your kid’s preschool teacher recommended it?

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Word History and Origins

Origin of redshirt¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55 for redshirt def 1, from the red shirts worn in practice by such athletes; in redshirt def 2, the term is a reference to the original Star Trek series (1966–69), in which characters in red shirts, usually security personnel or engineers, were often killed off as a plot device

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Other options to play small forward could include redshirt freshman Eric Freeny, sophomore Trent Perry, redshirt sophomore Brandon Williams and Jamar Brown, a transfer from Missouri-Kansas City.

From

Largely an afterthought a little more than a week ago, the Bruins are now the talk of the college football world after landing the quarterback from Tennessee who was widely regarded as the top player in the transfer portal after leading the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff as a redshirt freshman.

From

He sat out the 2023-24 season, before breaking out as a redshirt sophomore at Maryland last season.

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The redshirt sophomore will have three seasons of remaining eligibility.

From

“The transfer portal is part of our world now,” said Cronin, whose roster will also benefit from the return of guard Eric Freeny and forward Brandon Williams from a redshirt season.

From

redshifted redshirting

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