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

The Oilers’ goaltending situation has become one of the most volatile and widely scrutinized in recent memory. —Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026

Defenseman Mario Ferraro and center Michael Misa both scored before everything went off the rails for the San Jose Sharks, who had trouble managing the puck, got some spotty goaltending, and allowed five unanswered goals in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday at the United Center. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026

From afar, Pronger said a number of things are going right for the Flyers, including good goaltending, strong team defense and scoring from up and down the lineup. —CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026

Whether Hintz and Heiskanen are in will determine how much support the goaltending has. —Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026

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