field goal
Americannoun
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Football. a three-point goal made by place-kicking or drop-kicking the ball between the opponent's goalposts above the crossbar.
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Basketball. a goal made while the ball is in play.
noun
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basketball a goal scored while the ball is in normal play rather than from a free throw
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American football a score of three points made by kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts above the crossbar
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of field goal
First recorded in 1890–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When the New England Patriots blocked a field goal in this year’s AFC Championship game, putting the team on the cusp of a Super Bowl trip, Austin Sagan wasn’t cheering like his Patriots-obsessed dad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Rioux dunks without jumping, a feat highlighted by his first college field goal against Saint Francis in December 2025 and a memorable March Madness moment in 2026 with an offensive rebound and put-back dunk.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
During his final season of collegiate basketball in 2011-12, he was the most accurate sharpshooter in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics with a 48.1% three-point field goal percentage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
In a first half in which offensive fireworks were conspicuously absent, Walker delivered runs of 29 and 30 yards in the course of three plays to set up Seattle's second field goal.
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026
Alan Wyles, a talented kicker who absolutely hated to kick, came in to try a thirty-one-yard field goal.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
