goaltending

noun

goal·​tend·​ing ˈgōl-ˌten-diŋ 

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

Examples of goaltending in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gustavsson has recently formed a formidable goaltending tandem with fellow Swede Jesper Wallstedt, the backup who had consecutive shutouts against Calgary and Anaheim and made a career-high 42 saves Wednesday night at home in a shootout victory over Carolina. —CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025

How to Watch Boston University vs Northeastern Boston University enters this matchup with one of the most balanced lineups in the country, with high-end scoring up front, mobile defensemen who can jump into the rush, and steady goaltending. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

Scoring is up, and while a deep pool of star power currently propping up the league is somewhat responsible for this, so is bad goaltending. —Josh Yohe, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

Wedgewood’s arrival helped stabilize the goaltending position. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for goaltending

• amending
• appending
• ascending
• attending
• befriending
• commending
• contending
• defending
• depending
• descending
• distending
• expending