goal

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

goal

(gōl)

1. The object toward which an endeavor is directed; an end. See Synonyms at intention.

2. Sports

a. A structure or area into which players endeavor to propel a ball or puck in order to score points.

b. A play or shot that sends a ball or puck into or through the goal.

c. The score awarded for such an act.

d. The finish line of a race.

3. Linguistics

a. A noun or noun phrase referring to the place to which something moves.

b. See patient.

[Middle English gol, boundary, possibly from Old English *gāl, barrier.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

goal

(ɡəʊl)

1. the aim or object towards which an endeavour is directed

2. the terminal point of a journey or race

3. (Team Sports, other than specified) (in various sports) the net, basket, etc, into or over which players try to propel the ball, puck, etc, to score

4. (Team Sports, other than specified) sport

a. a successful attempt at scoring

b. the score so made

5. (Team Sports, other than specified) (in soccer, hockey, etc) the position of goalkeeper

[C16: perhaps related to Middle English gol boundary, Old English gǣlan to hinder, impede]

ˈgoalless adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

goal

(goʊl)

n.

1. the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

2. the terminal point in a race.

3. a pole, line, or other marker by which such a point is indicated.

4. an area or point toward or into which players of various games attempt to propel a ball or puck to score points.

5. the act of propelling a ball or puck toward or into such an area or object.

6. the score made by achieving this.

[1275–1325; Middle English gol boundary, limit; compare Old English gǣlan to hinder, impede]

goal

Scored when the ball is kicked over the crossbar.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	goal - the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it; "the ends justify the means" end cognitive content, mental object, content - the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned plan of action - a plan for actively doing something objective, aim, object, target - the goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable); "the sole object of her trip was to see her children" bourn, bourne - an archaic term for a goal or destination end-all - the ultimate goal; "human beings are not the end-all of evolution" destination, terminus - the ultimate goal for which something is done no-goal - a nonexistent goal; "he lived without a reason progressing toward no-goal" aim, intent, intention, purpose, design - an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions; "his intent was to provide a new translation"; "good intentions are not enough"; "it was created with the conscious aim of answering immediate needs"; "he made no secret of his designs" intention - (usually plural) the goal with respect to a marriage proposal; "his intentions are entirely honorable"
	2.	goal - the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey); "a crowd assembled at the finish"; "he was nearly exhausted as their destination came into view" destination, finish end, terminal - either extremity of something that has length; "the end of the pier"; "she knotted the end of the thread"; "they rode to the end of the line"; "the terminals of the anterior arches of the fornix" finish line, finishing line - a line indicating the location of the finish of a race
	3.	goal - game equipment consisting of the place toward which players of a game try to advance a ball or puck in order to score points bar - an obstruction (usually metal) placed at the top of a goal; "it was an excellent kick but the ball hit the bar" basketball hoop, basket, hoop - horizontal circular metal hoop supporting a net through which players try to throw the basketball game equipment - equipment or apparatus used in playing a game goalpost - one of a pair of posts (usually joined by a crossbar) that are set up as a goal at each end of a playing field net - a goal lined with netting (as in soccer or hockey)
	4.	goal - a successful attempt at scoring; "the winning goal came with less than a minute left to play" score - the act of scoring in a game or sport; "the winning score came with less than a minute left to play" own goal - (soccer) a goal that results when a player inadvertently knocks the ball into the goal he is defending; "the own goal cost them the game"

goal

noun aim, end, target, purpose, object, intention, objective, ambition, destination, Holy Grail (informal) The goal is to raise as much money as possible.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

goal

noun

What one intends to do or achieve:

aim, ambition, design, end, intent, intention, mark, meaning, object, objective, point, purpose, target, view, why.

Idioms: end in view, why and wherefore.

Translations

هَدَفهَدَف في الحَياههدف

gólcílbránabranka

mål

Tor Ziel Gehäuse

γκολ σκοπός στόχος τέρμα

meta gol objetivo finalidad portería

värav

maalipäämäärätavoite

but objectif prison dessein enjeu

golvratacilj

gól

mark, stigtakmark

gol porta scopo traguardo proposito

ゴール

골

įvartisuždavinysvartininkasvartų stulpas

mērķisvārti

doel goal

mål målsettingsiktemålformål

cel gol bramka

gol meta objetivo

gol

ворота гол цель щит

gól

ciljgolvrata

mål

ประตู

gol amaç kale

khung thành

目标射门得分

goal

[gəʊl]

A. N

1. (Sport) (= score) → gol m; (= net etc) → portería f, meta f, arco m (LAm)
to keep goal; play in goal → ser portero or (LAm) arquero
goal! → ¡gol!
to score a goal → marcar un gol
they won by two goals to one → ganaron por dos goles or tantos a uno

2. (= aim) (in life) → meta f, objetivo m; (in journey) → fin m
to reach one's goal → llegar a la meta, realizar una ambición

B. CPD goal area N → área f de portería, área f de meta
goal average N → promedio m de goles, golaverage m
goal kick N → saque m de puerta
goal line N → línea f de portería

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

goal

[ˈgəʊl] n

(= score) → but m
the winning goal → le but de la victoire
to score a goal → marquer un but

(= goalmouth) → but m
to miss an open goal → rater un but dégarni

(= objective) → objectif m, but m
His goal is to become the world champion → Son but est de devenir champion du monde.
My long-term goal was to become a senior manager → Mon objectif à long terme était de devenir directeur.goal-area [ˈgəʊlɛəriə] n → surface f de butgoal average n (British) → goal-average mgoal difference n → différence f de buts

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

goal

(Sport) → Tor nt; to keep goal, to play in goal → im Tor stehen, im Tor spielen, das Tor hüten; to score/kick a goal → ein Tor erzielen/schießen

(= aim, objective) → Ziel nt; to set (oneself) a goal (→ sich dat) → ein Ziel setzen

goal

goal area

n → Torraum m

goal average

n (Brit Ftbl) → Tordifferenz f, → Torverhältnis nt

goal crease

n (Ice hockey) → Torraum m

goalgetter

n (Sport) → Torjäger(in) m(f)

goal

goal judge

n (Ice hockey) → Torrichter(in) m(f)

goalkeeper

n → Torwart m, → Torhüter(in) m(f)

goalkeeping

n → Torhüten nt; his excellent goal saved the game → seine hervorragende Leistung als Torwart rettete das Spiel

goal kick

n → Abstoß m → (vom Tor)

goalless

adj draw, half → torlos

goal line

n → Torlinie f

goalmouth

n → unmittelbarer Torbereich

goal poacher

n (Sport) → Abstauber(in) m(f)

goalpost

n → Torpfosten m; to move the goals (fig inf) → die Spielregeln (ver)ändern

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

goal

[gəʊl] n

a. (Sport) (score) → goal m inv, gol m inv; (net) → rete f, porta
to win by 4 goals to 2 → vincere per 4 reti a 2
to play in goal → giocare in porta

b. (aim, in life) → scopo, fine m, obiettivo; (in journey) → meta

goal

(gəul) noun

1. in football, rugby, hockey etc the act of kicking, hitting etc a ball between the goalposts; the point gained by doing this. He scored six goals.

2. an aim or purpose. My goal in life is to write a book.

ˈgoalkeeper noun

(also keeper) a player, eg in hockey or football, whose job is to prevent members of the other team from scoring goals.

ˈgoalpost noun

one of the two upright posts which form the goal in football, rugby, hockey etc.

to score a goal (not gaol).
to put a criminal in gaol (not goal).

goal

→ هَدَف gól mål Tor στόχος meta maali but gol porta ゴール 골 doel mål cel gol, objetivo ворота mål ประตู gol khung thành 目标

goal

n meta, objetivo; cholesterol — meta or objetivo de colesterol; goal-oriented orientado al logro de objetivos, orientado a objetivos

References in classic literature ?

Old Brooke takes half a dozen quick steps, and away goes the ball spinning towards the School goal, seventy yards before it touches ground, and at no point above twelve or fifteen feet high, a model kick-off; and the School-house cheer and rush on.

View in context

Clarence in goal was the nearest approach to an india-rubber acrobat and society contortionist to be seen off the music-hall stage.

View in context

Thus, to take a long and circuitous route, after enticing the enemy out of the way, and though starting after him, to contrive to reach the goal before him, shows knowledge of the artifice of DEVIATION.

View in context

They set out for the goal of fame with equal opportunities.

View in context

The French army pushed on to Moscow, its goal, its impetus ever increasing as it neared its aim, just as the velocity of a falling body increases as it approaches the earth.

View in context

I have been conscious all the way along through this pilgrimage of its inevitable vagueness of direction, of my need of something definite, some place, some name, anything at all, however slight, which I might associate, if only for a time, with the object of my quest, a definite something to seek, a definite goal for my feet.

View in context

On such a night How many tireless travellers may attain The happy goal of their desire!

View in context

Night fell upon us before we reached our goal, and, almost fainting from weariness and weakness, we lay down and slept.

View in context

Look at things as they really are, and you will see that the clever unjust are in the case of runners, who run well from the starting-place to the goal but not back again from the goal: they go off at a great pace, but in the end only look foolish, slinking away with their ears draggling on their shoulders, and without a crown; but the true runner comes to the finish and receives the prize and is crowned.

View in context

And it comforted her to think that the future was certainly inevitable: cause and effect would go jangling forward to some goal doubtless, but to none that she could imagine.

View in context

And it seemed to him that there was not a single article of faith of the church which could destroy the chief thing--faith in God, in goodness, as the one goal of man's destiny.

View in context

What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal: what is lovable in man is that he is an OVER-GOING and a DOWN-GOING.