soccer

noun

soc·​cer ˈsä-kər 

: 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

Examples of soccer in a Sentence

Both of their children play soccer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, Inter Miami fans were also making their way to Atlanta for the big game. Nicolas Stone Perez, 22, a Coral Gables resident who plays soccer at MIT, flew in for the game. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 29 June 2025

The big defender Montes plays his club soccer for Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025

That match kicks off at 8:30 p.m. Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. —Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2025

Beckham, arguably the most famous athlete in England's history, finally earned his country’s highest honor after years of near misses despite his legendary soccer career and extensive charity work with UNICEF. —Jay Stahl, USA Today, 28 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

by shortening & alteration from association football

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing soccer

• soccer mom
• table soccer

Rhymes for soccer

• blocker
• chalker
• cocker
• docker
• hawker
• hocker
• knocker
• locker
• mocker
• ocher
• rocker
• shocker

Kids Definition

soccer

noun

soc·​cer ˈsäk-ər 

: a football game with 11 players on a side in which a round ball is advanced by kicking it or by hitting it with any part of the body except the hands and arms

Etymology

by shortening and alteration of association football

Word Origin

Soccer is the world's most popular sport. In most countries, however, its name is not soccer but football. In England, where the modern game started, it is usually called either football or association football. The latter name comes from the fact that the rules of the game were standardized when the Football Association was founded in England in 1863. The word soccer comes from the last three letters of the abbreviation assoc., which stands for "association." Although the word soccer was first used in England, the only countries where it is now the usual name for the sport are the U.S. and Canada.