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field goal
noun
1
: a score of three points in football made by drop-kicking or placekicking the ball over the crossbar from ordinary play
2
: a goal in basketball made while the ball is in play
Examples of field goal in a Sentence
He kicked a 20-yard field goal.
Recent Examples on the Web
Oddly enough, that earlier game was a relative barnburner, as Los Angeles fought back from a 13-0 deficit before matters were settled by a 57-yard field goal in overtime.
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Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Kicker Harrison Butker put the Chiefs up three with a field goal in the fourth, and the Bills ultimately weren't able to get around Kansas City's defense in the final minutes.
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Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
That game ended with a drive led by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and punctuated by a walk-off 51-yard field goal by Cairo Santos.
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Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
After the Eagles tied the score with a touchdown and two-point conversion — both on Jalen Hurts runs — with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter, Mahomes engineered a game-winning field goal drive.
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Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2025
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Word History
First Known Use
1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near field goal
Cite this Entry
“Field goal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/field%20goal. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
field goal
noun1
: a score of three points in football made by kicking the ball over the crossbar during ordinary play
2
More from Merriam-Webster on field goal
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about field goal
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