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goalmouth

American  
[gohl-mauth] / ˈgoʊlˌmaʊθ /

noun

  • goalmouths
    plural
  1. the area between the goalposts directly in front of the goal in certain games, as soccer, lacrosse, and hockey.


goalmouth British  
/ ˈɡəʊlˌmaʊθ /

noun

  1. sport the area in front of the goal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of goalmouth

First recorded in 1880–85; goal + mouth


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:

Manchester City's Champions League game against Paris St-Germain last week was an absolute throwback, which provided so many crosses, shots and goalmouth action.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Atalanta striker Lookman was the architect again, floating a corner into the heart of the goalmouth where Ndidi soared to beat goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen and score his first international goal.

From Barron's ● Dec. 27, 2025

LAFC’s rebuilt midfield struggled to slow Minnesota’s speedy attackers in the early going but was bailed out when Kelvin Yeboah’s left-footed shot struck the right post and caromed across the goalmouth in the 13th minute.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2025

To their credit, the Kraken hung in, surviving a second period goalmouth scramble in which Will Borgen covered up a puck in the crease.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2024

Bosnia-Herzegovina survived a goalmouth scramble when Bell's free-kick caused havoc in the box, but Envera Hasanbegovic got down to smother the danger before Magill could sort her feet out.

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2024

The pitch looks ok from pictures, apart from the goalmouths are looking a little brown.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2024

Keepers who repeatedly come running out of their goalmouths in an attempt to win the ball are either often easy pickings for any decent striker or invariably give a penalty away.

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2023

“We’re here to change the mentality,” said the 31-year-old Bono, the Hercules of a goalkeeper whose 6-foot-5 frame has helped make the Moroccan goalmouths seem walled.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2022

It was one of few goalmouths incidents in a first half in which Wolves had more than their share of possession and Albion seemed to be struggling to come to terms with their 4-4-2 formation.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 20, 2011

Unimportant kids' coats were put at either end of the lake as goalmouths to reach through and to defend.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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