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

After an early own goal gave Miami the lead, a second‑half assist from Lionel Messi set up Rodrigo De Paul for the go‑ahead goal in the 71st minute, and a late strike by Tadeo Allende sealed the win in stoppage time. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025

The pink party reached a new volume in the eighth minute as Miami took a 1-0 lead on an own goal by Vancouver’s Edier Ocampo, whose leg deflected a hard cross from Allende that was intended for Mateo Silvetti. —Miami Herald, 7 Dec. 2025

Shaheed took the kick at his own goal line, found a seam and was barely touched on his way to the other end of the field for the longest touchdown of the NFL season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. —CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025

Emmanuel Sabbi slalomed past two SDFC defenders, creating stress that led to an own goal. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for own goal

• bankroll
• bedroll
• borehole
• cajole
• catchpole
• charcoal
• condole
• control
• dipole
• downhole
• enroll
• extol