Advertisement

Advertisement

goalkeeper

[ gohl-kee-per ]

noun

  1. (in ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, etc.) a player whose chief duty is to prevent the ball or puck from crossing or entering the goal.


goalkeeper

/ ˈɡəʊˌ쾱ːə /

noun

  1. sport a player in the goal whose duty is to prevent the ball, puck, etc, from entering or crossing it
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈDzˌ辱Բ, noun
Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • DzkiԲ noun
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of goalkeeper1

First recorded in 1650–60; goal + keeper
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"Iraola has been able to grow and develop his squad," former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Final Score.

From

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "That is a massive win for Manchester City. Champions League football for a club of their stature is an absolute minimum."

From

It was Murphy who did open the scoring, beating goalkeeper Dean Henderson for power with a shot which some may say suspiciously looked like a cross.

From

The Real goalkeeper celebrated with a wild home crowd as Saka was left to ponder his choice of penalty.

From

Among all the chaos around Manchester United's season and the talk of summer transfer priorities, the goalkeeper situation had not been top of the list.

From

Advertisement

Discover More

More About Goalkeeper

does goalkeeper mean?

In sports like soccer (football) and hockey, the goalkeeper is the player positioned in front of the goal whose job is to prevent the ball or puck from entering it (or crossing the goal line).

Goalkeeper can be used to refer to the position or the player. A goalkeeper might say they play goalkeeper. A common informal word for goalkeeper is goalie. In some sports, a goalkeeper is called a goaltender. In soccer, the goalkeeper is sometimes called the keeper.

Example: When I played soccer, I was the goalkeeper, and I was pretty good, especially because I was quick and had long arms for my age.

Where doesgoalkeeper come from?

The first records of the word goalkeeper come from the 1600s. The word keeper is used in a similar way in many other compound words, such as groundskeeper and zookeeper.

In a lot of sports, the object of the game is to get the ball or puck into the goal. And in most of those sports, there is someone there to guard the goal and try to prevent that from happening: the goalkeeper. Soccer, ice hockey, field hockey, and lacrosse are some of the sports that have goalkeepers. In these sports, players are typically not allowed to touch the ball or puck with their hands, with the exception of the goalkeeper (under certain circumstances). Goalkeepers usually stay right in front of the goal in order to block shots by the opposing team. They’re often known for their quickness and agility. Because they have to stand in the way of hard projectiles, goalkeepersin ice hockey, field hockey, and lacrosse usually wear a mask and other padded equipment.

Did you know ... ?

are some synonyms for goalkeeper?

are some words that share a root or word element with goalkeeper?

are some words that often get used in discussing goalkeeper?

How isgoalkeeper used in real life?

Goalkeepers are very commonly called goalies. The term goalkeeper is especially used in soccer.

Try usinggoalkeeper!

Is goalkeeper used correctly in the following sentence?

Our team needs a goalkeeper—can you play?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


goaliegoal kick