move the chains
move the chains verb: to alter the position of the device, a chain holding two sticks ten yards apart, used to initially determine the position of the line crossing which yields a first down for the offense, which may be moved by penalties or by the offense gaining a first down.
Verb
move the chains (third-person singular simple present moves the chains, present participle moving the chains, simple past and past participle moved the chains)
- To alter the position of the device, a chain holding two sticks ten yards apart, used to initially determine the position of the line crossing which yields a first down for the offense, which may be moved by penalties or by the offense gaining a first down.
- To convert a play that would result in said chains being moved.
- Synonyms:
- move the yardsticks
- To advance toward a goal.
Synonyms of move the chains
Forms of move the chains
| third-person singular present | moves the chains |
|---|---|
| present participle | moving the chains |
| past participle | moved the chains |
| past | moved the chains |
Questions about move the chains
- What does move the chains mean?
- Move the chains means to alter the position of the device, a chain holding two sticks ten yards apart, used to initially determine the position of the line crossing which yields a first down for the offense, which may be moved by penalties or by the offense gaining a first down.
- What part of speech is move the chains?
- Move the chains is a verb.
- What is the past tense of move the chains?
- The past tense of move the chains is moved the chains.
Words near move the chains in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: move the chains (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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