Adjacent Words

Goal definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GOAL, n.
1. The point set to bound a race, and to which they run; the mark.
Part curb their fiery steeds, or shun the goal
With rapid wheels.
2. Any starting post.
3. The end or final purpose; the end to which a design tends, or which a person aims to reach or accomplish.
Each individual seeks a several goal.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: 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" [syn: goal, end]
2: 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" [syn: finish, destination, goal]
3: game equipment consisting of the place toward which players of a game try to advance a ball or puck in order to score points
4: a successful attempt at scoring; "the winning goal came with less than a minute left to play"

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English gol boundary, limit Date: 1531 1. a. the terminal point of a race b. an area to be reached safely in children's games 2. the end toward which effort is directed ; aim 3. a. an area or object toward which players in various games attempt to advance a ball or puck and usually through or into which it must go to score points b. the act or action of causing a ball or puck to go through or into such a goal c. the score resulting from such an act Synonyms: see intention • goal intransitive verb • goalless adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the object of a person's ambition or effort; a destination; an aim (fame is his goal; London was our goal). 2 a Football a pair of posts with a crossbar between which the ball has to be sent to score. b a cage or basket used similarly in other games. c a point won (scored 3 goals). 3 a point marking the end of a race. Phrases and idioms: goal average Football the ratio of the numbers of goals scored for and against a team in a series of matches. goal difference Football the difference of goals scored for and against. goal-kick 1 Assoc. Football a kick by the defending side after attackers send the ball over the goal-line without scoring. 2 Rugby Football an attempt to kick a goal. goal-line Football a line between each pair of goalposts, extended to form the end-boundary of a field of play (cf. touch-line). goal-minder (or -tender) US a goalkeeper at ice hockey. goal-mouth Football the space between or near the goalposts. in goal in the position of goalkeeper. Derivatives: goalless adj. Etymology: 16th c.: orig. unkn.: perh. identical with ME gol boundary

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Goal Goal, n. [F. gaule pole, Prov. F. waule, of German origin; cf. Fries. walu staff, stick, rod, Goth. walus, Icel. v["o]lr a round stick; prob. akin to E. wale.] 1. The mark set to bound a race, and to or around which the constestants run, or from which they start to return to it again; the place at which a race or a journey is to end. Part curb their fiery steeds, or shun the goal With rapid wheels. --Milton. 2. The final purpose or aim; the end to which a design tends, or which a person aims to reach or attain. Each individual seeks a several goal. --Pope. 3. A base, station, or bound used in various games; in football, a line between two posts across which the ball must pass in order to score; also, the act of kicking the ball over the line between the goal posts. Goal keeper, the player charged with the defense of the goal.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(goals) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. In games such as football, netball or hockey, the goal is the space into which the players try to get the ball in order to score a point for their team. David Seaman was back in the Arsenal goal after breaking a knuckle. N-COUNT 2. In games such as football or hockey, a goal is when a player gets the ball into the goal, or the point that is scored by doing this. They scored five goals in the first half of the match... The scorer of the winning goal. N-COUNT 3. Something that is your goal is something that you hope to achieve, especially when much time and effort will be needed. It's a matter of setting your own goals and following them... The goal is to raise as much money as possible. = aim, objective N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Post (set to bound a race), mark, mete, limit, bound. 2. Object, end, design, destination, aim, height of one's ambition.

Moby Thesaurus

Z, aim, ambition, anchorage, apodosis, aspiration, basis, bourn, butt, by-end, by-purpose, calling, catastrophe, cause, ceasing, cessation, coda, conclusion, consideration, consummation, crack of doom, culmination, curtain, curtains, death, decease, denouement, destination, destiny, doom, duty, effect, end, end in view, end point, ending, envoi, epilogue, eschatology, expiration, fate, final cause, final solution, final twitch, final words, finale, finality, finis, finish, function, game, grand slam, ground, guiding light, guiding star, harbor, haven, hit, hole, hole in one, home run, homer, ideal, inspiration, intention, izzard, last, last breath, last gasp, last stop, last things, last trumpet, last words, latter end, lodestar, mainspring, mark, matter, motive, object, object in mind, objective, omega, payoff, period, peroration, port, prey, principle, purpose, pursuit, quarry, quietus, quintain, reason, reason for being, resolution, resting place, sake, score, slam, source, spring, stop, stoppage, stopping place, strike, swan song, target, teleology, term, terminal, terminal point, termination, terminus, touchdown, ulterior motive, ultimate aim, use, vocation, windup