soccer

American  

[sok-er] / ˈsɒk ər /

British, association football

noun

1. a form of football played between two teams of 11 players, in which the ball may be advanced by kicking or by bouncing it off any part of the body but the arms and hands, except in the case of the goalkeepers, who may use their hands to catch, carry, throw, or stop the ball.

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soccer British  

/ ˈsɒkə /

noun

1. Also called: Association Football. 

   1. a game in which two teams of eleven players try to kick or head a ball into their opponent's goal, only the goalkeeper on either side being allowed to touch the ball with his hands and arms except in the case of throw-ins

   2. ( as modifier )

      a soccer player

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Etymology

Origin of soccer

First recorded in 1890–95; (As)soc(iation football) + -er ⁷

Compare meaning

How does soccer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Rugby vs. soccer

Explanation

Soccer is a sport that's played with a round black and white ball that players pass to each other using their feet. To win a soccer match, your side has to kick the ball into the goal more times than your rivals do. Go team! In most parts of the world, soccer is known as football, which makes sense since players (except the goalie) can't touch the ball with their hands — they mainly control and move it with their feet. In the U.S., however, football is a completely different sport, one that's known as American football everywhere else,. Soccer comes from socca, slang for Assoc., which is a shortened version of Association football.

Example Sentences

A bowl of lemons sits on a table in the conference room Mauricio Pochettino has turned into an office at the U.S. men’s soccer team’s beachfront resort in south Orange County.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

These three-minute pauses, which occur midway through each half, have been derided around the globe as commercial land grabs that cater to sponsors, break up momentum, and violate the spirit of soccer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

Well for Europeans, Foudy said, soccer has a “cult-like status” that “combines the popularity of several American sports.”

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

Other buyers would say, however, that such issues long predate the current soccer bonanza.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026

But it was the soccer match, at four in the afternoon, that was the highlight.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola