/ gəʊl; NAmE goʊl/ noun
1.
( in sports ) a wooden frame with a net into which players must kick or hit the ball in order to score a point :
He headed the ball into an open goal (= one that had nobody defending it) .
Who is in goal (= is the goalkeeper ) for Arsenal?
—picture at hockey
2.
the act of kicking or hitting the ball into the goal; a point that is scored for this :
The winning goal was scored by Hill.
Liverpool won by three goals to one.
United conceded two goals in the first half.
a penalty goal
—see also drop goal , golden goal , own goal
3.
something that you hope to achieve
SYN aim :
to work towards a goal
to achieve / attain a goal
You need to set yourself some long-term goals .
Our ultimate goal must be the preservation of the environment.
➡ note at target
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense limit, boundary ): of unknown origin.