Definition

1. Noun:
   • A successful forward pass in American football: A "pass completion" specifically refers to a legal forward pass thrown by the quarterback that is caught by an eligible receiver on the same team, resulting in a gain of yards. It is a key statistic for evaluating a quarterback's performance.

Usage

• The term "pass completion" is used as a countable noun, often in the context of sports statistics and game commentary. It is typically modified by adjectives like "successful," "long," or "short."
• Example: "The quarterback's pass completion rate improved significantly in the second half."

Examples

• Noun:
  • His final pass completion of the game secured the victory.
  • The rookie quarterback recorded 25 pass completions for 300 yards.
  • A high number of pass completions does not always guarantee a win.

Advanced Usage

• "Completion percentage": A calculated statistic representing the ratio of completed passes to attempted passes.
  • A quarterback's completion percentage is a critical measure of accuracy.
• "To record a completion": A common verb phrase used to describe the act of successfully completing a pass.
  • The quarterback needed to record a completion on third down to keep the drive alive.

Variants and Related Words

• Complete (verb): The action of successfully throwing a pass that is caught.
  • The quarterback completed a 40-yard pass to the wide receiver.
• Completion (noun, general): The act of finishing something. In football, it is often used interchangeably with "pass completion" but can be broader.
  • The project is near completion. (General use)
  • His last completion was for a first down. (Football use)

Synonyms

• Completed pass: A direct synonym often used in play-by-play commentary.
• Reception: While closely related, a "reception" emphasizes the act of the receiver catching the ball, whereas a "pass completion" emphasizes the successful action from the passer's perspective. They often describe the same event.

Related Phrases

• Pass attempt: A forward pass that is thrown. Not all attempts become completions.
  • He had 35 pass attempts but only 22 pass completions.
• Incomplete pass: A forward pass that is not caught by any player or is caught out of bounds.
  • An incomplete pass stops the game clock.

Notes

• The term is specific to American football (and Canadian football). In association football (soccer), the term "pass completion" is also used but refers to any successful pass between players, not exclusively a forward pass.
• It is a compound noun where "pass" acts as a modifier for the type of "completion." The primary definition provided focuses on the term as a single unit of meaning in the context of American football statistics.

Noun

1. (American football) a successful forward pass in football