goalie
Americannoun
-
goalies
plural
noun
Usage
What does goalie mean? In sports like soccer (football) and hockey, goalie is an informal name for the goalkeeper, 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). Goalie can be used to refer to the position or the player. A goalie might say they play goalie. The position is usually officially called goalkeeper or goaltender, but goalie is very commonly used, especially in youth sports. In soccer, the goalkeeper is also sometimes called the keeper. Example: When I played soccer, I was the goalie, and I was pretty good, especially because I was quick and had long arms for my age.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of goalie
Explanation
In sports, the goalie is the player whose main job is to stop the ball or puck when the opposing team attempts to score a point. A soccer goalie is the only player allowed to grab the ball with her hands. Goalie is short for goalkeeper or goaltender. Soccer (or association football), hockey, water polo, and lacrosse are just some of the sports that use a goalie to intercept shots into the goal. Ice hockey and lacrosse goalies wear protective clothing and a face mask, while a soccer goalie's uniform is usually a distinctive color, different from other players.
Vocabulary lists containing goalie
A Soccer and a Football Special
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World Cup Vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
Rooney, who was cracking up in the studio alongside Richards and former England goalie Joe Hart, called it "the best interview I've ever seen".
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The U.S. sat almost all of its top players, including its leading scorer and starting goalie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
She once did a live “SportsCenter” segment where she tried out for the job of emergency goalie for the Florida Panthers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The first came on a wicked pass from teammate Michael Olise, a running Mbappé slipping past the defense and carving a shot past goalie Édouard Mendy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Their best player attacks, steals the ball, passes it down court to an open man, who shoots it just left of our sub goalie, who normally plays midfielder: Buzzer.
From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander
A dozen years later, the Athletic reports, there are no American goalkeepers in the top five European club leagues and the three goalies on this summer’s roster all play in MLS.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
His sudden transformation into a brick wall would have seemed impossible to anyone who watched him in the regular season, when he posted the fifth-worst save percentage among starting goalies in the NHL.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Brind’Amour fully expected to have his goalies split time in the crease in the playoffs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Hall of Fame water polo coach Rich Corso has joined the program to coach goalies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2024
“Obviously, two of the best goalies in the world and it’s a showdown out there,” Verhaeghe said.
From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2024
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.
