own goal
noun
1
chiefly British
: a goal in soccer, hockey, etc., that a player accidentally scores against his or her own team
2
British
: something that one does thinking it will help him or her but that actually causes one harm
The workers scored an own goal by demanding such high wages that no one could afford to employ them.
Examples of own goal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Manager Mikel Arteta was able to rest some of his key players and still get the job done with relative ease, with Martin Ødegaard’s strike and an own goal was enough for the host.
—
Ben Church, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Trump on Sunday seemed to both set his own goal of 50% support in Iowa, while also downplaying the potential target.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024
Dougherty dropped to 19-6-4. – Joseph Dycus Division III
No. 1 Newark Memorial 2, No. 6 Cardinal Newman 1
Newark Memorial capped off an incredible season with a NorCal championship as an own goal by Cardinal Newman in the 64th minute broke a 1-1 tie and accounted for the decisive margin.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
The run ended only when Mara and Mack, fighting for a rebound, accidentally scored for Oregon in the basketball equivalent of an own goal.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2024
All anyone wanted to talk about on social media after the game was the own goal by the Penguins.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 23 Jan. 2024
The only surprise from a full-throttle first-half was that Arsenal only led by two – courtesy of a fumbled own goal and a superb team move finished off by Kai Havertz.
—Ben Church, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024
Substitute Pedri González took a second before an own goal by Eric Baily put the hosts ahead.
—Joseph Wilson, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024
The package, which was split into 12 separate grants each tied to its own goal, is worth about $51.1 billion at Tesla’s closing share price on Tuesday.
—Peter Eavis, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
Ben Church, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Trump on Sunday seemed to both set his own goal of 50% support in Iowa, while also downplaying the potential target.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024
Dougherty dropped to 19-6-4. – Joseph Dycus Division III
No. 1 Newark Memorial 2, No. 6 Cardinal Newman 1
Newark Memorial capped off an incredible season with a NorCal championship as an own goal by Cardinal Newman in the 64th minute broke a 1-1 tie and accounted for the decisive margin.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
The run ended only when Mara and Mack, fighting for a rebound, accidentally scored for Oregon in the basketball equivalent of an own goal.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2024
All anyone wanted to talk about on social media after the game was the own goal by the Penguins.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 23 Jan. 2024
The only surprise from a full-throttle first-half was that Arsenal only led by two – courtesy of a fumbled own goal and a superb team move finished off by Kai Havertz.
—Ben Church, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024
Substitute Pedri González took a second before an own goal by Eric Baily put the hosts ahead.
—Joseph Wilson, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024
The package, which was split into 12 separate grants each tied to its own goal, is worth about $51.1 billion at Tesla’s closing share price on Tuesday.
—Peter Eavis, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'own goal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near own goal
Cite this Entry
“Own goal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own%20goal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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