goalpost

or goal post

[ gohl-pohst ]

/ ˈgoʊlˌpoʊst /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for goalpost on Thesaurus.com

noun

a post supporting a crossbar and, with it, forming the goal on a playing field in certain sports, as football.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of goalpost

First recorded in 1855–60

Words nearby goalpost

goalmouth, go along, go a long way, go a long way toward, goal-oriented, goalpost, goaltender, goaltending, goalwards, go and, goanna

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use goalpost in a sentence

This mentality of chasing the ever-evolving algorithmic goalposts is the continued failure of many in the industry who still largely prefer to please bots ahead of delivering real value for users.
The Panda anniversary and what we desperately must remember about search|Kevin Mullaney|February 24, 2021|Search Engine Watch
This way you can set some general expectations about savings rates, market returns and portfolio growth to give yourself some goalposts in the future.
The 20 most important personal finance laws to live by|Ben Carlson|December 8, 2020|Fortune
The goalposts of the search for AGI are constantly shifting in this way.
Artificial general intelligence: Are we close, and does it even make sense to try?|Will Heaven|October 15, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Textbook suppliers donated books, other districts donated buses and leaders of the new academy stripped the public schools of books, desks and football goalposts.
The Students Left Behind by Remote Learning|by Alec MacGillis|September 28, 2020|ProPublica

Both of those goalposts are still far off for now, though some have said there could be a vaccine by the end of the year.
Here’s what we’ve learned in six months of COVID-19 — and what we still don’t know|Erin Garcia de Jesus|June 30, 2020|Science News
As he did so he heard the right-hand goalpost crack as a pony cannoned into it—crack, splinter and fall like a mast.
The Day's Work, Volume 1|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for goalpost

goalpost

/ (ˈɡəʊlˌpəʊst) /

noun

either of two upright posts supporting the crossbar of a goal

move the goalposts to change the aims of an activity to ensure the desired results

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

goalpost

or goal post

Origin of goalpost

Words nearby goalpost

Words related to goalpost

How to use goalpost in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for goalpost