goal

From Middle English gol (“boundary, limit”), from Old English *gāl (“obstacle, barrier, marker”), from Proto-West Germanic *gailu, from Proto-Germanic *gailō (“crevice, gap”); compare the Old English's derivatives Old English gǣlan (“to hinder, delay”), and hyġegǣls (“hesitating, slow, sluggish”), hyġegǣlsa (“slow one, sluggish one”).

Possibly cognate with Lithuanian gãlas (“end”), Latvian gals (“end”), Old Prussian gallan (“death”), Albanian ngalem (“to be limping, lame, paralyzed”), ngel (“to remain, linger, hesitate, get stuck”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɡəʊl/, [ɡɒʊɫ]
  • (doll–dole merger) IPA^(key): /ɡɒl/
• (New Zealand, General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɡɐʉl/, [ɡɒʊɫ]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɡoʊl/, [ɡoɫ]

  • Audio (US):

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• Audio (Southern England):

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• Rhymes: -əʊl

goal (plural goals)

1. A result that one is attempting to achieve.

   My lifelong goal is to get into a Hollywood movie.

   His goal is to become a YouTuber.

   She failed in her goal to become captain of the team.

   • 2013 November 2, “A shrinking slice”, in The Economist, volume 409, number 8860:

     The goal should be to strengthen workers without hamstringing firms. Growth, rather than employment protection, is the priority. More work means a stronger labour market, which would bid up employees’ slice, as it did in America in the 1990s when unemployment was at record lows.

2. (sports) In many sports, an area into which the players attempt to put an object.

   The racers are approaching the goal.

   fans behind the goal

   play in goal

   The ball rolled slowly into the goal.

   He hit the goal 20 yards away.

3. (sports) The act of placing the object into the goal.

   miss a goal

   concede a goal

   let in a goal

4. A point scored in a game as a result of placing the object into the goal.

   score a goal

   • 2011 April 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Norwich 2-1 Nott'm Forest”, in BBC Sport:

     The former Forest man, who passed a late fitness test, appeared to use Guy Moussi for leverage before nodding in David Fox's free-kick at the far post - his 22nd goal of the season.

5. (linguistics, grammar) A noun or noun phrase that receives the action of a verb. The subject of a passive verb or the direct object of an active verb. Also called a patient, target, or undergoer.

• (a result one is attempting to achieve:) ambition, object of desire, objective, purpose, aspiration
• See also Thesaurus:goal

English terms starting with “goal”

goal (third-person singular simple present goals, present participle goaling, simple past and past participle goaled)

1. (Gaelic football, Australian rules football) To score a goal.

• algo-, Olga, gola, Gola, gaol, algo, Lago, Galo

Borrowing from English goal.

• IPA^(key): /ɡoːl/, [ɡoːl]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: goal

goal m (plural goals, diminutive goaltje n)

1. goal, target in sports, especially soccer
2. a hit in it, a point scored

• (target): doel n
• (hit): doelpunt n

Borrowed from English goal.

• IPA^(key): /ɡol/

• Audio:

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• Audio (France (Somain)):

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goal m (plural goals)

1. goalkeeper especially in soccer and polo

   Synonyms: gardien de but, gardien m, portier m

2. (rare) target in those sports

   Synonym: but m

• “goal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

• algo

Borrowed from English goal.

goal m (invariable)

1. alternative spelling of gol

• algo-, gola, lago

From Middle Irish gall (“foreigner”), from Latin Gallus.

goal m (genitive singular goal, plural goallyn or goaldee)

1. Scottish lowlander
2. foreigner

• Goal