goalpost

American

[gohl-pohst] / ˈgoʊlˌpoʊst /

Or goal post

noun

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

goalpost British

/ ˈɡəʊlˌpəʊst /

noun

either of two upright posts supporting the crossbar of a goal
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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

goalposts

plural

Etymology

Origin of goalpost

First recorded in 1855–60

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.

He has a gap in his teeth that feels like "the size of a goalpost".

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

It was a goalpost set without a road map.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2025

By the skin of their teeth, and the width of a goalpost, the bookmakers were proven right when they made England favourites at Twickenham.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2025

It's like moving the goalpost just as the person catches up when it's already difficult enough to get to the starting line.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2024

She looked feverish, weak She held on to the goalpost, bent over, and vomited a white liquid into the grass.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

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