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

After a couple of kneel-downs, kicker Harrison Butker connected on a 27-yard field goal to give the Chiefs a 38-35 Super Bowl victory. —Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026

Nneka Ogwumike posted 20 points and 11 rebounds, passing franchise icon Lisa Leslie for most field goals in Sparks history and climbing to sixth on the WNBA’s all-time rebounding list. —Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026

Ogwumike, who shot 8 for 17 from the field, moved past franchise icon Lisa Leslie, who had 2,332 field goals for the Sparks and 3,307 career rebounds. —Daily News, 30 May 2026

Phoenix couldn’t convert enough field goals to pose a real threat against DeMarco’s squad. —Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 30 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for field goal

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

Kids Definition

field goal

noun

1

: a score of three points in football made by kicking the ball over the crossbar during ordinary play

2

: basket sense 3b