football
gb/fˈʊtbˌɔl/ us/fˈʊtbˌɔl/
A1
English
~ 1600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
American team sport with oval ball
A sport in the US where two teams try to carry or throw an oval ball into the other team's end zone to score points.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'football' in American English (American football) with 'football' in British English (soccer). Context and region matter.
Synonyms
gridiron (Less common term for American football, mainly used in formal or historical contexts.)
Antonyms
soccer (In American English, 'soccer' refers to association football, which is a different sport from American football.)
Collocations
football game
|football field
|play football
|football team
|football player
Themes
sports
|games
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He played college football before joining the professional league.
- The football game was postponed due to heavy rain.
- She bought tickets for the football match next Sunday.
- Football season starts in early September.
- They practiced football drills every afternoon.
Learner examples
- I like to watch football on TV.
- My brother plays football at school.
- We saw a football game last weekend.
- The football is brown and oval.
- He runs fast in football.
Noun
A1
entity
2
Association football (soccer)
A sport where two teams kick a round ball and try to get it into the other team's goal; called 'soccer' in the US.
Common mistake:
Learners may be unsure if 'football' means soccer or American football; check the country and context.
Synonyms
soccer (Common term in American English for association football.)
Antonyms
rugby (A different type of ball game with handling and tackling, not primarily kicking.)
Collocations
football match
|football pitch
|play football
|football club
|football fan
Themes
sports
|games
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Football is the most popular sport in many countries.
- He joined the local football club when he was ten.
- The World Cup is the biggest event in international football.
- They played football in the park until it got dark.
- Her dream is to become a professional football player.
Learner examples
- I play football after school.
- We watched a football game on TV.
- He can kick the football very far.
- The football is round and white.
- They love to play football together.
Noun
A1
entity
3
Ball used in football games
The ball used in sports called football; it can be round or oval depending on the type of game.
Synonyms
ball (General term for a spherical or oval object used in games.)
Collocations
kick the football
|throw the football
|catch the football
Themes
sports
|equipment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He kicked the football over the fence.
- The coach brought out a new football for practice.
- She caught the football and ran toward the goal.
- The football was signed by all the players.
- They inflated the football before the game.
Learner examples
- I kicked the football hard.
- He threw the football to me.
- We need a new football for the game.
- The football is big and brown.
- She caught the football easily.
Grammar
Dictionary form
football
IPA
GB/fˈʊtbˌɔl/
US/fˈʊtbˌɔl/
Syllables & stress
foot - ball (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (foot)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: football
- Plural: football, footballs
Word family
Expressions
end run
1/ˈɛnd ɹˈʌn/
idiom
informal
Avoid rules indirectly
To avoid rules or someone in authority by using indirect methods.
Examples
- They tried an end run around company policy.
- He made an end run to get approval from another department.
kick-off
1/kˈɪk ˈɔf/
fixed phrase
Start of game or event
The time when a football game starts; also used for starting other events or activities.
Examples
- The kick-off is at 3 p.m. sharp.
- We had a meeting to kick off the new project.
Monday morning quarterback
1/mˈʌndˌeɪ mˈɔɹnɪŋ kwˈɔɹtɚbˌæk/
idiom
informal
Criticizing after knowing result
Someone who says what should have been done after it has already happened and the result is known.
Examples
- It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback after we lost the game.
- Don't be a Monday morning quarterback—no one knew what would happen.
move the goalposts
1/mˈuv ðə ɡˈoʊlpəsts/
idiom
informal
Change rules unfairly mid-process
To change the rules or conditions while something is happening, making it more difficult for someone to succeed.
Examples
- They keep moving the goalposts, so we can never win.
- Changing the deadline now is just moving the goalposts.