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

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Not only that, but Gennaro Gattuso’s men could do with putting on a clinic and building up their own goal difference with a dominant victory at Simbru Stadium. Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025 Ultimately, how else to sum up this spectacular own goal coming in at the end of an awful year for F1’s most storied squad? Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025 Varas and colleagues avoided that own goal. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025 An own goal from Puerto Rico’s Steven Echevarria in the 64th minute gave Argentina a 4-0 lead. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for own goal

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Cite this Entry

“Own goal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own%20goal. Accessed 23 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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