goal
[noun]
Synonyms: aim, ambition, end, intention, object, objective, purpose, target

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English Thesaurus: aim, goal, target, objective, ambition, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

goal S2 W1 AC /ɡəʊl $ ɡoʊl/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: gol 'limit, boundary' (1300-1400)]

1. something that you hope to achieve in the future Synonym : aim:
Your goal as a parent is to help your child become an independent adult.

REGISTER
In everyday British English, people often talk about what someone is aiming to do rather than talk about someone’s goal:
■ His goal is to set up his own business. ➔ He’s aiming to set up his own business.

2. the area between two posts where the ball must go in order to score in games such as football or hockey
be in goal/keep goal British English (=be the goalkeeper)

3. the action of making the ball go into a goal, or the score gained by doing this:
I scored the first goal.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

goal
noun
I. wooden frame into which a ball is kicked/hit
ADJ. open He kicked the ball into an open goal.
VERB + GOAL go in, play in The goalkeeper was injured so a defender had to go in goal.
PREP. in ~ Who's in goal for Arsenal?

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

goal
II. point scored in a game
ADJ. brilliant, excellent, good, great, spectacular, stunning, superb, well-taken | scrappy, soft The fans were annoyed that the team gave away such a soft goal.
decisive, winning | equalizing | important, useful, vital | own Vega scored an unfortunate own goal when he slipped as he tried to clear the ball.
VERB + GOAL get, score | kick (in rugby) | head (in) | make Visconti scored one goal himself and made two for Lupo.
concede, give away, let in | allow, disallow The referee disallowed the goal.
GOAL + VERB come from sb/sth The equalizing goal came from Cole. The second goal came from a penalty.
PREP. ~ against They scored three goals against the home team.
~ for his first goal for Spain
~ from A late goal from Owen won the game for Liverpool.
 ⇒ Special page at SPORT

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

goal
III. aim
ADJ. immediate, short-term Our immediate goal is to earn enough money to keep the business going. | long-term, ultimate | main, major, primary, prime | clear, explicit, specific | ambitious They have set themselves some ambitious goals.
modest | desirable | achievable, attainable, realistic | unattainable, unrealistic | elusive | personal | common We are all working towards a common goal.
twin The prison service pursues the twin goals of the punishment and rehabilitation of offenders.
strategic | political
VERB + GOAL have It is important to have explicit goals.
establish, set (sb) | pursue, strive for, work towards | achieve, attain, reach
PREP. ~ of their goal of providing free university education for everyone

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

goal

sb’s main/primary goal
My main goal was to get the team to the finals.
The primary goal of the 1917 Revolution was to seize and redistribute the wealth of the Russian empire.
sb’s ultimate goal (=what they eventually and most importantly hope to achieve)
The ultimate goal is a freer, more democratic society.
an immediate goal (=that you need to achieve very soon)
Our immediate goal is to cut costs.
a long-term goal (=that you hope to achieve after a long time)
The organization’s long-term goal is to gain a strong position in the European market.
a short-term goal (=that you hope to achieve after a short time)
Companies should not focus only on the short-term goal of profitability.
sb’s personal goal
They had to sacrifice personal goals for their family life.
a common goal (=an aim shared by more than one person or organization)
Iran and Turkey shared common goals in their handling of the refugee crisis.
a realistic/achievable goal
Students are encouraged to set themselves realistic goals for academic improvement.
We pushed for what we thought were achievable goals
an ambitious goal (=an aim that will be difficult to achieve)
The agreement set ambitious goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
a modest goal (=an aim that is not too difficult to achieve)
Don’t try to lose a lot of weight quickly; set yourself a more modest goal.
have a goal
She had one goal in life: to accumulate a huge fortune.
work towards a goal
We are all working towards similar goals.
pursue a goal
Have we gone too far in pursuing the goal of national security?
achieve/attain/reach your goal
She has worked hard to achieve her goal of a job in the medical profession.
They’re hoping to reach their goal of raising £10,000 for charity.
set (yourself/somebody) a goal (=decide what you or someone else should try to achieve)
It helps if you set yourself clear goals.
score a goal
Robbie Keane scored a goal just before halftime.
get a goal
It was great that he got that goal so late in the game.
head a goal (=score a goal by hitting the ball with your head)
Peter Crouch headed England’s equalizing goal.
make a goal (=help another player to score a goal)
Rooney made the goal with a superb pass to Saha.
concede a goal (=let the other team score a goal)
Arsenal conceded a goal in the final minute of extra time.
let in a goal (=let the other team score a goal)
Chelsea let in a goal in the 63rd minute.
disallow a goal (=not allow a goal to be counted because a rule has been broken)
The goal was disallowed for offside.
the winning goal
Berbatov scored the winning goal from just outside the box.
an own goal (=when a player accidentally puts the ball into his/her own net)
Dixon scored an unfortunate own goal against West Ham.
a last-minute goal
A last-minute goal condemned Fulham to a 0–1 home defeat.
an equalizing goal British English (=a goal that gives you the same number of points as your opponent)
A loud cheer went up as he scored the equalizing goal.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

goal
noun
BAD: We reached our goal just after three o'clock.
GOOD: We reached our destination just after three o'clock.

Usage Note:
goal = something that you hope to achieve: 'The company's goal is to double its share of the personal computer market.'
destination = the place that you are travelling to: 'The immigration officer wanted to know my destination and how long I was planning to stay.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

aim something you hope to achieve by doing something:
The main aim of the plan was to provide employment for local people.
goal something important that you hope to achieve in the future, even though it may take a long time:
The country can still achieve its goal of reducing poverty by a third.
target a particular amount or total that you want to achieve:
The company is on track to meet its target of increasing profits by 10%.
objective the specific thing that you are trying to achieve – used especially about things that have been officially discussed and agreed upon in business, politics etc:
Their main objective is to halt the flow of drugs.
We met to set the business objectives for the coming year.
ambition something that you very much want to achieve in your future career:
Her ambition was to go to law school and become an attorney.
Earlier this year, he achieved his ambition of competing in the Olympic Games.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

purpose the reason you do something, and the thing you want to achieve when you do it:
What is the purpose of your visit to England?
The plant is used for medicinal purposes.
aim what you want to achieve when you do something:
The main aims of the project are as follows.
Their ultimate aim is to find a cure for cancer.
goal something that you hope to achieve in the future, even though this may take a long time:
It took Mandela over forty years to achieve his goal of a democratic South Africa.
the goal of ending child poverty
objective something that you are working hard to achieve, especially in business or politics:
The bank achieved its objective of increasing its share of the market.
The government’s long-term objective is to cut CO2 emissions by 50%.
the object of something formal the specific purpose of an activity:
The object of the game is to get as many points as possible.
The students will benefit, and that must be the object of the exercise (=the main thing that you are trying to do).
the point the purpose of doing something and the reason why it is right or necessary:
At fourteen, I couldn’t see the point of going to school.
What’s the point in waiting? (=I don’t think it is useful or necessary)
intention the purpose that you have in your mind when you do something:
He kept his real intentions well hidden.
Although we made a lot of money, this wasn’t our original intention.
ends the result that someone is trying to achieve – used especially when you disapprove of what someone is doing:
They are using religion for political ends.
The ends do not justify the means (=you should not use violence, cruelty, dishonest behaviour etc to achieve your aims).

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

goal
ɡəul
See: field goal

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲