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

Bremen missed a host of chances before Jovan Milošević scored from Romano Schmid’s cross in the 57th minute, and an own goal from Hennes Behrens in stoppage time confirmed Bremen’s first win after three defeats under new coach Daniel Thioune. —ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026

Liverpool had raced into a 3-0 first-half lead but showed concerning vulnerability in defence all game, and were ultimately grateful to a late Axel Disasi own goal to settle their nerves. —Tom Burrows, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026

Danika Kilbourne scored the fourth goal and the final goal caromed off a trio of players and was deemed an own goal. —Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026

In the hunt for their own goal, the Americans kept knocking on the door, but couldn’t break through. —Sean Gregory, Time, 20 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for own goal

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