soccer

noun

soc·​cer ˈsä-kər How to pronounce soccer (audio)
: a game played on a field between two teams of 11 players each with the object to propel a round ball into the opponent's goal by kicking or by hitting it with any part of the body except the hands and arms

called also association football

Examples of soccer in a Sentence

Both of their children play soccer.
Recent Examples on the Web From the Daily Pilot, a story on former Huntington Beach soccer star Jenna Nighswonger preparing for the World Cup. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024 The expansion soccer team will kick off its first-ever game in the NWSL at 4:30 p.m. PT, when Montoya’s group will line up against Angel City FC, a team that advanced to the quarterfinals last season, its second in the NWSL. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024 The film looks at how the young man’s dreams of becoming a soccer star are shattered when he’s smuggled into the U.S. and sold to a sweatshop in downtown Los Angeles. Brent Lang, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 Related article This soccer star has been handed a six-year prison sentence in absentia for trafficking cocaine. Amy Woodyatt, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Burkle, who paid $2 million in expansion fees to bring a professional women’s soccer team to San Diego, will remain the team’s control person for the 2024 season. Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 Some see the rise of girls’ wrestling as part of a larger arc in women’s sports: the U.S. women’s national soccer team has captured the nation’s attention and the Big Ten’s women’s basketball tournament sold out after Caitlin Clark smashed the women’s NCAA scoring record. Marc Levy, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2024 The proud mom thanked the soccer star and others for making the special moment happen for her little guy. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Since splitting with the father of her two kids, soccer player Gerard Pique, in June 2022, the Colombiana has been linked with quite a number of eligible suitors. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soccer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

by shortening & alteration from association football

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of soccer was in 1885

Dictionary Entries Near soccer

Cite this Entry

“Soccer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soccer. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

soccer

noun
soc·​cer ˈsäk-ər How to pronounce soccer (audio)
: a football game with 11 players on a side in which a round ball is advanced by kicking it or by hitting it with any part of the body except the hands and arms
Etymology

by shortening and alteration of association football

Word Origin
Soccer is the world's most popular sport. In most countries, however, its name is not soccer but football. In England, where the modern game started, it is usually called either football or association football. The latter name comes from the fact that the rules of the game were standardized when the Football Association was founded in England in 1863. The word soccer comes from the last three letters of the abbreviation assoc., which stands for "association." Although the word soccer was first used in England, the only countries where it is now the usual name for the sport are the U.S. and Canada.

More from Merriam-Webster on soccer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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