goal
nounverbcommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ɡəʊl//
- United Kingdom/[ɡɒʊɫ]/
- //ɡɒl//
A result that one is attempting to achieve.
noun
- 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.
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
To do with 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.
- 3
To do with sports The act of placing the object into the goal.
miss a goal
concede a goal
let in a goal
- 4
To do with sports A point scored in a game as a result of placing the object into the goal.
score a goal
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
To do with grammar A noun or noun phrase that receives the action of a verb.
- 6
To do with grammar The subject of a passive verb or the direct object of an active verb.
Etymology
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”).
verb
- 1
To score a goal.
Forms
- plural
- goals
- past tense
- goaled
- past participle
- goaled
- present participle
- goaling
- third person singular
- goals
goal · A result that one is attempting to achieve.
goalie · A goalkeeper or goaltender.goals · Extremely admirable; worthy of being set as a goal and…goat · Any ruminant of the genus Capra.