field goal

American  

noun

1. Football. a three-point goal made by place-kicking or drop-kicking the ball between the opponent's goalposts above the crossbar.

2. Basketball. a goal made while the ball is in play.

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field goal British  

noun

1. basketball a goal scored while the ball is in normal play rather than from a free throw

2. American football a score of three points made by kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts above the crossbar

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Etymology

Origin of field goal

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

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

On the next possession, they intercepted Maye and soon set up kicker Jason Myers’s fifth field goal of the game, a Super Bowl record.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Myers kicked a 33-yard field goal following the Seahawks’ opening drive for a 3-0 lead at 11:58 in the first quarter.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026

The hometown Giants trailed for most of the game but took the lead in the fourth quarter, only to see the visiting Baltimore Colts tie the score on a field goal shortly before time expired.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 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

Related Words

• basket