starting lineup

noun

: the list of players who are playing when a game begins
The manager has made some changes to the starting lineup.

Examples of starting lineup in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Among the 12 lineups around the NBA that entered Monday with at least 30 minutes played together this season, the Heat’s starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Wiggins, Antetokounmpo and Adebayo owned the worst net rating. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026 Ohtani, of the Dodgers, earns about three times as much annually as the entire Rays starting lineup; Juan Soto, of the Mets, makes roughly the same as the Brewers’ nine-man group. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 The first look at the Spurs’ three-guard starting lineup did not exactly inspire confidence. — Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 Oct. 2026 Rodgers was expected to be a piece of Boise State’s starting lineup in 2026. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for starting lineup

Rhymes for starting lineup

See All Rhymes for starting lineup

Browse Nearby Words

starting line
starting lineup
startingly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Starting lineup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starting%20lineup. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All