goal
goal / gōl/ • n. 1. (in football, soccer, rugby, hockey, and some other games) a pair of posts linked by a crossbar and often with a net attached behind it, forming a space into or over which the ball has to be sent in order to score. ∎ an instance of sending the ball into or over this space, esp. as a unit of scoring in a game: the decisive opening goal we won by three goals to two. ∎ a cage or basket used similarly in other sports.2. the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result: going to law school has become the most important goal in his life. ∎ the destination of a journey: the aircraft bumped toward our goal some 400 miles to the west. ∎ poetic/lit. a point marking the end of a race.PHRASES: in goal in the position of goalkeeper.DERIVATIVES: goal·less adj.
