soccer

play

noun soc·cer \ ˈsä-kər \

Definition of soccer

:a game played on a field between two teams of 11 players each with the object to propel a round ball into the opponent's goal by kicking or by hitting it with any part of the body except the hands and arms — called also association football

See soccer defined for English-language learners

See soccer defined for kids

Examples of soccer in a Sentence

Both of their children play soccer.

Recent Examples of soccer from the Web

But in this homage — the restaurant’s name refers to Bologna’s soccer team’s colors — all depends on the sauce.

— patric kuh, Los Angeles Magazine, "What Makes the Bolognese Sauce at Rossoblu So Good?," 30 Aug. 2017
The boys soccer state record books are littered with long stretches of Howard County dominance.

— brent kennedy, Howard County Times, "Howard County boys soccer teams aiming to unseat Mt. Hebron," 27 Aug. 2017
If this doesn't really make sense, consider that the face of these cough drop Kit Kats is Yasutaro Matsuki, a longtime Japanese soccer commentator whose job requires him to keep his voice in mint condition.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "The Latest Novelty Kit Kat Flavor Is... Cough Drop," 23 Aug. 2017
Returning seniors Alec Fleming and Caleb Chapman give coach Jake Rakoczy a formidable duo at the top of his lineup, and the addition of track standout Gabe Sanchez — who picked cross country over soccer this fall — further boosts Lowell's depth.

— dave melton, Post-Tribune, "Boys cross country preview: Caleb Chapman chomping at the bit for Lowell," 19 Aug. 2017
Birmingham's soccer team begins playing in the United Soccer League in 2019.

— joseph goodman, AL.com, "USL: Birmingham's chance to prove it can support a pro team," 11 Aug. 2017
Last week, Qatar inked a $262 million deal to bring one of soccer’s most well-known stars, Neymar, to the Paris Saint-Germain team, Qatar’s most prominent sports asset.

— sudarsan raghavan, Washington Post, "Two months into Saudi-led boycott, tiny Qatar goes on the offensive," 9 Aug. 2017
The inquiry into Ronaldo’s financial arrangements is among recent high-profile tax cases involving soccer’s top names in Spain.

— the associated press, New York Times, "Cristiano Ronaldo Tells Spanish Judge He ‘Never Tried to Avoid Taxes’," 31 July 2017
Messi showed up to this exhibition version of el Clásico, the clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Spain’s iconic soccer match.

— nicholas nehamas, miamiherald, "‘Messi, he’s not from planet Earth.’ Fans came to Miami to see stars play - especially absent Ronaldo.," 29 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'soccer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of soccer

by shortening & alteration from association football

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1885

See Words from the same year

Other Field and Goal Sports Terms

crease, lateral, lax, overthrow, playbook, post, screen, scrum, secondary, ultimate

SOCCER Defined for English Language Learners

soccer

play

noun

Definition of soccer for English Language Learners

: a game played between two teams of 11 players in which a round ball is moved toward a goal usually by kicking

SOCCER Defined for Kids

soccer

play

noun soc·cer \ ˈsä-kər \

Definition of soccer for Students

:a game played between two teams of eleven players in which a round inflated ball is moved toward a goal usually by kicking

History for soccer

At Oxford University in England, in the 1870s, it became a fad among students to make up slang forms of everyday words by clipping them to a single syllable and then adding the meaningless suffix -er. Most of these coinages, such as footer for football, fresher for freshman, and brekker for breakfast, are unfamiliar in North American English, if they have survived at all. However, one -er coinage has become very successful in the United States: the word soccer. Soccer was shortened from association (or assoc.) football, which was the name for a game played according to the rules of the Football Association, founded in England in 1863.