goalkeeper

noun

goal·​keep·​er ˈgōl-ˌkē-pər How to pronounce goalkeeper (audio)
: a player who defends the goal in any of various games (such as hockey, lacrosse, or soccer)

Examples of goalkeeper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Since Smerud took over, Angel City keeper Angelina Anderson has had eight shutouts and given up just a goal five other times — a hot streak that coincides with the July hiring of goalkeeper coach Louis Hunt. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 Current goalkeeper Lorena joined Chawinga on the Ballon d’Or list, placing 28th on this year’s rankings. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026 Seattle goalkeeper Andrew Thomas dove to his left to block a penalty kick by Anders Dreyer, but Bakambu knocked in the rebound. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026 The ball eventually came in front to Martinez, whose sharp 10-yard shot was stopped by Neuqua Valley junior goalkeeper Brendan Bauer. — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for goalkeeper

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of goalkeeper was in 1789

Rhymes for goalkeeper

See All Rhymes for goalkeeper

Browse Nearby Words

goalie
goalkeeper
goal kick
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Goalkeeper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goalkeeper. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

goalkeeper

noun
goal·​keep·​er ˈgōl-ˌkē-pər How to pronounce goalkeeper (audio)
: a player who defends the goal in various games

More from Merriam-Webster on goalkeeper

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about goalkeeper

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All