goalkeeper
Americannoun
-
goalkeepers
plural
noun
Usage
What does goalkeeper mean? In sports like soccer (football) and hockey, the goalkeeper is 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). Goalkeeper can be used to refer to the position or the player. A goalkeeper might say they play goalkeeper. A common informal word for goalkeeper is goalie. In some sports, a goalkeeper is called a goaltender. In soccer, the goalkeeper is sometimes called the keeper. Example: When I played soccer, I was the goalkeeper, and I was pretty good, especially because I was quick and had long arms for my age.
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Origin of goalkeeper
Vocabulary lists containing goalkeeper
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:
"I said at half-time if you're going to go down, go down fighting. You can accept losing if you've given absolutely everything," said former Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have also left the club.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
The goalkeeper, who had over 30,000 followers on Instagram on Tuesday morning, has since deactivated his account.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner said of O'Neill on BBC Radio Scotland that it's been "a brilliant weekend for Rangers", who won their League Cup semi-final with Aberdeen on Saturday.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Tom Yew's actually shaken hands with Peter Shilton, the England goalkeeper.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
They specialise in developing goalkeepers who are good with their feet, including Penders, who recorded the highest average position while playing out from the back under Rosenior at the Ligue 1 club early last season.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Genk have developed a reputation for producing elite goalkeepers, and Penders is frequently compared to Thibaut Courtois by those who know him best.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Newcastle have made six signings so far this summer in goalkeepers Lukas Hornicek and Ewen Jaouen, defender Amar Dedic, midfielders Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur and forward Bazoumana Toure.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
That message applied to his goalkeepers - Sanchez and number two Mike Penders, 21, who is waiting to make his debut after returning from a successful loan spell at Strasbourg.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“He used to be one of the best goalkeepers in Kosovo, and everybody wanted to be like him.”
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
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