What does yardage mean?
Yardage is a noun for an amount measured in yards, but it is most widely encountered in American football. In that setting, it means the total ground covered by advancing the ball through running or passing, and it is commonly reported as a statistical measure of offensive production. A player's yardage records how much progress that player has contributed rather than how many possessions the player has had or how many points the player has scored. The word can also refer more generally to a distance or quantity measured in yards, especially in practical or commercial contexts. Its tone is technical and statistical: “gain yardage” and “finish with 100 yards” describe movement and progress, often in running sports. Yardage is particularly associated with American football but is also used wherever teams summarize distances gained. It is useful because it compresses numerous individual actions into a simple numerical measure, while terms such as net, total, rushing, and passing clarify what contribution is being counted.
nounAn amount measured in yards; in American football, the total distance a player or team advances the ball by running or passing. The term is also used more generally for an aggregate distance or quantity measured in yards.
- In American football, the total distance a player or team advances the ball through runs, passes, or receptions.
- More generally, an amount or distance measured in yards.
"The quarterback finished the game with 287 yards in passing yardage."
"The running back gained 96 yards in rushing yardage before leaving the game."
"The survey report included the yardage needed for the proposed access road."
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon because yardage is normally treated as an aggregate or mass noun.
"The chart compares the quarterbacks' yardages across five seasons."
A team can win the game and still lose the yardage battle—a reminder that moving the football and scoring are different achievements.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does yardage come from?
Yardage was formed in English from yard and the suffix -age, which is used to create nouns denoting an amount, result, or collective instance. Yard itself comes from Old English gærd, meaning a rod or measuring length and also an enclosed space, and is cognate with words such as garden and guard. The sporting sense developed as statistical language for the distance advanced in yards.
How yardage is actually used
Primarily a statistical term in American football, though the general measurement sense occurs in technical and commercial contexts. It is usually treated as a mass noun, and pluralization is uncommon.
Easily confused with yardage
A yard is a unit of length or an enclosed area of ground, whereas yardage is an amount or aggregate distance measured in yards.