Skip to main content
goalkeeper

goalkeeper

18 2.5
A player in sports like soccer who stops the other team from scoring by guarding the goal
  • noun
  • /ˈɡoʊlˌkiːpər/
: portero
  • The goalkeeper made an incredible save to prevent the opposing team from scoring.
  • players and one goalkeeper

So what does former Coventry goalkeeper know exactly who this is?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • But the Boca Juniors' goalkeeper was one of Argentina's keys to victory.

    Blog text (19)
  • Real Salt Lake drafted this young goalkeeper in 2011 but then released him without ever signing a contract.

    Blog text (18)
  • To be a good goalkeeper, you have to practice.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • And as a goalkeeper, you cannot make mistakes.

  • You could be a goalkeeper!

  • We still need a goalkeeper.

  • Three field players and one goalkeeper represented each team.

    Academic text (2009)
  • If something were to happen to Michael, we have an experienced backup goalkeeper that we can turn to.

    Blog text (12)
  • Oh, fantastic shot, but saved by goalkeeper Steve O'Reilly.

  • The goalkeeper launches himself off the line, it's a terrific dive.

Synonyms

goalie
vsgoalkeeper
55 2.5

A player in sports like soccer or hockey who guards the goal and stops the other team from scoring

is the exact general job definition used across those sports
goaltender
vsgoalkeeper
  • US
10 4.0

A player who guards the goal to stop the other team from scoring

is the same role described with identical scope and purpose
netminder
vsgoalkeeper
  • US
1 8.0

A player who protects the goal in hockey or soccer by blocking shots

covers more sports and keeps the broader job description
shot stopper
vsgoalkeeper
1 4.8

A goalkeeper who is very good at saving shots on goal

is the general position with the main duty of preventing scores
netkeeper
vsgoalkeeper
6.0

A player who guards the goal and tries to stop the other team from scoring

is the general term that emphasizes the player's stopping duty

Surface Forms

goalkeeper singular
goalkeepers plural

Morphology

goalkeeper = goal + keeper (transparent) = goal + keeper

A straightforward compound of 'goal' + 'keeper': a person who guards the goal; the meaning follows directly from the components.

Etymology

Goalkeeper is made of two simple parts: goal, the place or target teams try to score in, and keeper, someone who 'keeps' or 'guards' things, like a zookeeper who looks after animals. So a goalkeeper is the player who guards the goal and stops the other team from scoring.