goaltending

noun goal·tend·ing \ ˈgōl-ˌten-diŋ \

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

Definition of goaltending

1 : the act of guarding a goal (as in hockey)

2 : a violation in basketball that involves touching or deflecting a ball that is on its downward path toward the basket or on or within the rim of the basket

Recent Examples of goaltending from the Web

Those teams made Mike Green and Alex Semin stars and created a goaltending carousel that has only slowed after the arrival of Braden Holtby.

— the si staff, SI.com, "Stanley Cup Final Roundtable: Expansion Team in the Final, Unlikely Goal Scorer, More," 26 May 2018
However, for those claiming the outcome of the game could've have been different, even if goaltending was called, the Pacers would've had a 97-95 lead and James' buzzer-beating three would still win the game.

— geoffrey c. arnold, OregonLive.com, "Watch: Was LeBron James' block a goaltend before his game-winning 3?," 26 Apr. 2018
As much as Pacers fans lament that goaltending was not called, the Pacers must let that go, and focus on Game 6.

— clifton brown, Indianapolis Star, "James dominating Pacers, while Oladipo searches for answers," 26 Apr. 2018
The Golden Knights, projected to be a bottom-of-the-barrel expansion team, harnessed their speed and work ethic and the goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury to win the Pacific Division.

— helene elliott, latimes.com, "Golden Knights vs. Capitals: How Vegas and Washington match up in the Stanley Cup Final," 27 May 2018
James Harden and Chris Paul had combined for 28 points through three quarters, but had made just 10 of 27 shots, and that was after a first half in which Paul's only bucket was on a Warriors goaltending.

— jonathan feigen, Houston Chronicle, "Stephen Curry heats up, Warriors rout Rockets in Game 3," 20 May 2018
Connor Hellebuyck halted a dizzying goaltending carousel that often saw half a dozen netminders compete for starts in the past two seasons.

— andrew knoll, New York Times, "N.H.L. Western Conference Finals: A Long Shot vs. the Longest Shot," 11 May 2018
The Flyers’ defense and goaltending were respectable in the regular season and awful in four of their six playoff games against Pittsburgh.

— sam carchidi, Philly.com, "Grading the Flyers: Mixed bag of reviews for defense and goalies," 3 May 2018
Game 6 is Friday night in Indianapolis, and that city's mayor, Joe Hogsett, is doing everything in his municipal power to make sure goaltending remains against the rules.

— matt bonesteel, chicagotribune.com, "In wake of that LeBron James no-call, Indianapolis mayor outlaws goaltending," 27 Apr. 2018

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