move/shift the goalposts
idiom
: to change the rules or requirements in a way that makes success more difficult
Examples of move/shift the goalposts in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scammers continue to move the goalposts with different ruses and techniques, and AI is figuring more prominently.
—
Russ Wiles, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
Since late June, certain things about that area of your life may have felt up in the air, or at least not as rigidly set in stone, giving you permission to play within those flexible conditions and move the goalposts.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2024
Regulators continue to shift the goalposts in a pendulum-like motion between aggressive regulation and open applications.
—Matvii Diadkov, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
That’s not to say the right hasn’t tried to move the goalposts more in its direction to place Swift and Kelce on the left.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Biden wanted to shift the goalposts from protecting Afghanistan’s civilians to training Afghan forces to do the job and lead the fight against al-Qaeda.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 14 Apr. 2021
Some economists have suggested the Fed could move the goalposts on inflation, revising its 2% inflation target to the more attainable level of 3%.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 7 Sep. 2022
Covid-19 mouthpiece Michael Caputo was aggressively pursuing a herd immunity strategy, Floridians could watch DeSantis quietly try to move the goalposts.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2021
And with prices leaping sky-high as demand recovers and supply lines falter, and up to 40% of workers contemplating quitting their jobs if they aren’t allowed to maintain some form of work-from-home arrangement, the Fed’s prerequisite conditions might have to move the goalposts.
—Q.ai - Investing Reimagined, Forbes, 15 June 2021
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Russ Wiles, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
Since late June, certain things about that area of your life may have felt up in the air, or at least not as rigidly set in stone, giving you permission to play within those flexible conditions and move the goalposts.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2024
Regulators continue to shift the goalposts in a pendulum-like motion between aggressive regulation and open applications.
—Matvii Diadkov, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
That’s not to say the right hasn’t tried to move the goalposts more in its direction to place Swift and Kelce on the left.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Biden wanted to shift the goalposts from protecting Afghanistan’s civilians to training Afghan forces to do the job and lead the fight against al-Qaeda.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 14 Apr. 2021
Some economists have suggested the Fed could move the goalposts on inflation, revising its 2% inflation target to the more attainable level of 3%.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 7 Sep. 2022
Covid-19 mouthpiece Michael Caputo was aggressively pursuing a herd immunity strategy, Floridians could watch DeSantis quietly try to move the goalposts.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2021
And with prices leaping sky-high as demand recovers and supply lines falter, and up to 40% of workers contemplating quitting their jobs if they aren’t allowed to maintain some form of work-from-home arrangement, the Fed’s prerequisite conditions might have to move the goalposts.
—Q.ai - Investing Reimagined, Forbes, 15 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“Move/shift the goalposts.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/move%2Fshift%20the%20goalposts. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
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