golden goal

British

noun

soccer (in certain matches) the first goal scored in extra time, which wins the match for the side scoring it

"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

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.

Megan Keller scored the golden goal 4 minutes and 7 seconds into the extra period, lifting the Americans to their third gold medal in the event after accomplishing the feat in 1998 and 2018.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

By the time Decca and tall, blond Boud approach “the great golden goal of every childhood—being a grownup,” they long for a different kind of life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

Three of the four biggest upsets have been caused by the hosts - twice via penalties and once with a golden goal.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2022

But the magic ended there as the Rapids netted a golden goal to stop McLean just short of a title shot.

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2022

In large, flaming letters of red, the lake was dangerous, near to a break-up, a death trap; yet every day the reckless ones were going over it to be that much nearer the golden goal.

From The Trail of '98 A Northland Romance by Service, Robert W. (Robert William)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023