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
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.
The Chargers won by three at SoFi, but the Broncos held their second-stringers to a mere field goal in the regular-season finale with Denver winning at home, 19-3.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
Audi Crooks, Iowa State: Is second in the nation with 25.5 points per game and a 64.7% field goal percentage.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026
The biggest of all may be the four-point field goal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 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
“Because the Colts were in field goal position,” I mumble to my desk.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
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.
