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, football

Examples of soccer in a Sentence

Both of their children play soccer.

Recent Examples on the Web

The second half of the 2025-2026 season had been a struggle for the Coronado Islanders girls’ soccer program. —Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026

Set for release in 2026, the four-part drama adapts James Graham’s hit National Theatre play about manager Gareth Southgate’s battle to overturn the decades-long record of underperforming loss suffered by England’s soccer team. —John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026

Emily Orta was a seemingly healthy 14-year-old soccer player in Adrian when her life changed in seconds. —CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026

Boys soccer In 6A, Irving’s 4-2 loss to Dallas Jesuit knocked them out of the rankings paving the way for Byron Nelson’s debut in the Top 10 this season. —Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026

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.