football

noun

foot·​ball ˈfu̇t-ˌbȯl 

1

: any of several games played between two teams on a usually rectangular field having goalposts or goals at each end and whose object is to get the ball over a goal line, into a goal, or between goalposts by running, passing, or kicking: such as

a

British : soccer

b

British : rugby

c

: an American game played between two teams of 11 players each in which the ball is in possession of one side at a time and is advanced by running or passing

d

Australia : australian rules football

e

Canada : canadian football

2

a

: an inflated oval ball used in the game of football

b

British : a soccer ball

3

: something treated roughly especially as the subject of a prolonged dispute

the issue became a political football in Congress

footballer

ˈfu̇t-ˌbȯ-lər 

noun

Did you know?

The game of US football evolved in the 19th century as a combination of rugby and soccer. The first intercollegiate match was played in 1869 between Princeton University and Rutgers College. In 1873, the first collegiate rules were standardized and the Ivy League was formed. Collegiate football grew into one of the most popular American sports. Professional football began in the 1890s, but did not become a major sport until after World War II. The National Football League (NFL) was formed (from an earlier association) in 1922; in 1966 it subsumed the rival American Football League (created in 1959). The NFL is now divided into an American and a National conference; the conference winners compete for the Super Bowl championship. A Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio.

Examples of football in a Sentence

He played a lot of football in high school and college.

Recent Examples on the Web

As Boise State football’s season ticked along to the tune of a 6-2 record, a not-insignificant portion of the fan base gave redshirt junior quarterback Maddux Madsen a lot of heat. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 2 Nov. 2025

Spanning nearly 24,000 square meters of permanent exhibition space -- roughly the size of four football fields -- the Grand Egyptian Museum houses around 57,000 artifacts. —Ayat Al-Tawy, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025

Nick Saban certainly made more good decisions than bad ones during his run to seven national championships as a college football coach. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025

Even more, clothing that is dynamic enough to wear to the office but also to the football game is convenient for anyone’s fall wardrobe rotation. —Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing football

• American football
• arena football
• association football
• Australian Rules football
• Canadian football
• fantasy football/baseball/basketball
• flag football
• football/golf widow
• football scholarship
• political football
• table football
• touch football

Rhymes for football

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

football

noun

foot·​ball ˈfu̇t-ˌbȯl 

1

: any of several games in which two teams try to advance a ball to the goals at each end of a large rectangular field: as

a

British : soccer

b

British : rugby

c

: an American game played between two teams of 11 players each in which the ball is advanced by running or passing

2

: the ball used in football