: 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
But the energy was still palpable, with locals sporting soccer jerseys and tourists popping up across the city.
—
Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
In addition to managing the game against the Cardinals, Quatraro was a catcher for the ceremonial first pitch from England national soccer team manager Thomas Tuchel.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2026
For soccer fans like Miko Zhang, China’s failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup is almost beside the point.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 June 2026
Dallas Stadium’s long-term grass future Once engineers figured out that drainage was a major problem in sustaining quality grass indoors, putting down a playing surface for a football, futbol or a soccer game wasn’t that hard.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for soccer
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Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
In addition to managing the game against the Cardinals, Quatraro was a catcher for the ceremonial first pitch from England national soccer team manager Thomas Tuchel.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2026
For soccer fans like Miko Zhang, China’s failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup is almost beside the point.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 June 2026
Dallas Stadium’s long-term grass future Once engineers figured out that drainage was a major problem in sustaining quality grass indoors, putting down a playing surface for a football, futbol or a soccer game wasn’t that hard.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for soccer
Cite this Entry
“Soccer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soccer. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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.
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