Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The object toward which an endeavor is directed; an end. synonym: intention.
  • noun A structure or area into which players endeavor to propel a ball or puck in order to score points.
  • noun A play or shot that sends a ball or puck into or through the goal.
  • noun The score awarded for such an act.
  • noun The finish line of a race.
  • noun A noun or noun phrase referring to the place to which something moves.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • An erroneous spelling of gaol (now commonly jail), often found in books of the seventeenth century.
  • noun A pole, post, or other object set up to mark the point determined for the end of a race, or for both its beginning and end, whether in one course or several courses; a mark or point to be reached in a race or other contest; the limit of a race.
  • noun In athletic games and plays, the mark, point, or line toward which effort is directed.
  • noun Hence—3. In foot-ball, etc., the act of throwing or kicking the ball through or over the goal: as, to make a goal.
  • noun 4. The end or termination; the finish.
  • noun The end or final purpose; the end to which a design or a course of action tends, or which a person aims to reach or accomplish.
  • noun A barrow or tumulus.
  • noun In astronomy, the point on the celestial sphere toward which the motion of a body is directed; thus, the earth's goal at any moment is a point on the ecliptic about 90 degrees west of the sun.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The mark set to bound a race, and to or around which the constestants run, or from which they start to return to it again; the place at which a race or a journey is to end.
  • noun The final purpose or aim; the end to which a design tends, or which a person aims to reach or attain.
  • noun A base, station, or bound used in various games as the point or object which a team must reach in order to score points; in certain games, the point which the ball or puck must pass in order for points to be scored. In football, it is a line between two posts across which the ball must pass in order to score points; in soccer or ice hockey, it is a net at each end of the soccer field into which the soccer ball or hocjey puck must be propelled; in basketball, it is the basket{7} suspended from the backboard, through which the basketball must pass.
  • noun (Sport) The act or instance of propelling the ball or puck into or through the goal{3}, thus scoring points.
  • noun (Sport) the player charged with the defense of the goal, such as in soccer or ice hockey.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A result that one is attempting to achieve.
  • noun In many sports, an area into which the players attempt to put an object.
  • noun The act of placing the object into the goal.
  • noun A point scored in a game as a result of placing the object into the goal.
  • noun A noun or noun phrase that receives the action of a verb. The subject of a passive verb or the direct object of an active verb. Also called a patient, target, or undergoer.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a successful attempt at scoring
  • noun the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey)
  • noun the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it
  • noun game equipment consisting of the place toward which players of a game try to advance a ball or puck in order to score points

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English gol, boundary, possibly from Old English *gāl, barrier.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English gol ("boundary, limit"), from Old English *gāl ("obstacle, barrier, marker"). Related to Old English gǣlan ("to hinder, delay, impede, keep in suspense, linger, hesitate, dupe"), Old English hyġegǣlsa ("hesitating, slow, sluggish"). Cognate with Albanian ngel ("to remain, linger, hesitate, get stuck").

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