How to Use man-to-man in a Sentence

man-to-man

adjective
  • Wanting to play more man-to-man.
    — Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • Clark has high-end range, ball skills and the ability to play man-to-man.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Now, man-to-man is the team’s go-to defense, and a matchup zone if needed.
    — Greg Riddle, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
  • That does not guarantee a ton of man-to-man defense.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Is the defense playing man-to-man, zone or some kind of hybrid?
    — Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2023
  • The Bruins play man-to-man high in the defensive zone.
    — Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Bayern pressed aggressively from the first minute and went man-to-man.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • In an attempt to slow down, Baylor switched from man-to-man defense to a zone.
    — Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 15 Dec. 2025
  • Even if man-to-man is the base, these teams realize what a secondary wrinkle can be worth.
    — Jim Root, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Bologna’s man-to-man press is incessant and does not change for any opponent, home or away.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
  • In a world where teams are going man-to-man against you, finding space takes a very different form.
    — Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • People will pick you up full court, double-team you, full-court zone to man-to-man to the last five seconds.
    — Ben Steele, Journal Sentinel, 5 July 2023
  • Some sides have reduced the volume of man-to-man phases in their press to avoid getting caught out in this way.
    — Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • Boutte and Diggs are now Maye's go-to targets versus man-to-man.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Virginia switched to a man-to-man defense in the second half to try to slow the Bulldogs.
    — ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Baylor changed from man-to-man to a zone but Texas still managed 26 first-half points in the paint.
    — Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 14 Dec. 2025
  • His man-to-man with God is celestial diplomacy.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
  • In the world before man-to-man marking became so prevalent, the space that opened up for teams in build-up was around their back line.
    — Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • Steichen thought the pass play, which could break through Houston’s man-to-man defense, would give them a fresh set of downs.
    — Chloe Peterson, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Jan. 2024
  • Everyone else in Italy played man-to-man with a libero sweeping up behind the rest of the defence.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • Dugger, who played every snap in Hawkins’ place, has never thrived as a man-to-man defender.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
  • If playing man-to-man defense can feel singular, zone is collective.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Often lines up at the line of scrimmage in Jones’ man-to-man scheme and his bump-and-run skill throws receivers off their routes.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
  • No sub-tweeting, no digs in the press, just two dudes with a minor disagreement hashing it out man-to-man and then moving on.
    — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
  • Adams is one of the best against man-to-man coverage in NFL history.
    — Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
  • The Chiefs don’t have a healthy receiver who can separate from man-to-man coverage.
    — Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Both teams pressed man-to-man with relentless intensity, and the game became a chain of one-on-one duels.
    — Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 5 May 2026
  • Since then, Gonzalez failed to get his hands on the ball and allowed a few catches in man-to-man coverage.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The Beach played a variety of zones and presses; the Gaels stick to physical man-to-man.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023
  • Which matchup can the Chargers attack when the Patriots are playing man-to-man?
    — Daniel Popper, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'man-to-man.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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