own goal

noun

1

chiefly British : a goal in soccer, hockey, etc., that a player accidentally scores against his or her own team

2

British : something that one does thinking it will help him or her but that actually causes one harm

The workers scored an own goal by demanding such high wages that no one could afford to employ them.

Examples of own goal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An 87th-minute apparent own goal for the Revolution was overturned after video review, with referee Sergii Boiko ruling Luca Langoni offside on the play. — Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026

Nashville cut it to 2-1 at halftime on an own goal by New York defender Tim Parker in the 45th minute, then tied it in the 81st on an own goal by defender Julian Bazan. — Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

An own goal provided the Courage (14-13-3) the 1-0 home win over the Denver Summit (11-11-8). — ABC News, 1 Nov. 2026

The Japan international is happy to engage in shorter, high-pressure passing closer to his own goal or go long with either foot. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026

João Klauss and Justin Haak scored following a second-half own goal by Colorado’s Reggie Cannon and the Galaxy rallied to beat the Rapids 3-2 on Saturday night. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for own goal

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