field goal

noun

Definition of field goal

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

Her assists are up from 2.3 pg to 4.1, rebounds from 1.4 to 3.3, field goal percentage from 35.1 to 45.7 and 3-point percentage from 34.1 to 45.0 (third-best in the league through Tuesday). Jeff Metcalfe, azcentral, "Is Mercury guard Leilani Mitchell now a lock for WNBA's Most Improved Player award?," 28 Aug. 2019 The Mystics currently lead the league in *takes deep breath* points per game, assists per game, field goal percentage, three-pointers made, free throw percentage, least turnovers per game and plus-minus. Kellen Becoats, SI.com, "A Masked Mystic, an Unreal Offense and a Balanced Roster Make Washington Dominant," 19 Aug. 2019 Though the Spartans were unable to capitalize on 37- and a 39-yard field goal attempt early on in the final quarter, the La Cañada defense forced a fumble on its 23 yard line with 3:03 left to turn the tide. La Cañada Valley Sun, "La Cañada rallies to nonleague victory over Hacienda Heights Wilson in season opener," 22 Aug. 2019 Fort Lauderdale, held without a first down until 7-minutes remained in the second quarter, was short on a 47-yard field goal attempt by Cali Canaval-Ejern with 3:28 remaining in the first half. Gary Curreri, sun-sentinel.com, "Bowen, Dillard dominate Fort Lauderdale 44-0," 17 Aug. 2019 Greg Joseph sailed a 53-yard field goal attempt wide right and rookie Austin Seibert sent a 52-yarder wide left. Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com, "Baker Mayfield, OBJ, Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett and others rest as Garrett Gilbert shines in 21-18 win vs. Colts," 17 Aug. 2019 Chicago clinched the division title but lost to Philadelphia in the NFC Wild Card game on a missed field goal attempt. SI.com, "Bears vs. Giants Live Stream, TV Channel: How to Watch NFL Preseason," 16 Aug. 2019 Most notably, Rackers led the NFL in field goal attempts and conversion percentage in 2005, earning him a Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selection. azcentral, "Arizona Cardinals' Top 100 players of all-time," 14 Aug. 2019 Fellow senior Jonathan Song was 9-for-12 on field goal attempts last season. Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, "TCU kicker could miss season after he was hit by a car while driving a scooter," 5 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'field goal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of field goal

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for field goal

field goal

noun

English Language Learners Definition of field goal

American football : a score of three points made by kicking the ball between the goalposts
basketball : b

field goal

noun

Kids Definition of field goal

: a score in football made by kicking the ball between the goalposts