goalkeeper

goal·keep·er
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UK/ˈɡəʊlˌkiː.pə/US/ˈɡoʊl.kiːpɚ/

noun

A designated player that attempts to prevent the opposing team from scoring by protecting a goal.

Similar
goaliegoalmindergoaltenderkeepernetkeepernetminderstopper
OriginEnglish keeper ← Middle English gol ← Old English *gāl →
Less commonScrabble 17
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noungoalkeeper (plural goalkeepers)

plural goalkeepers · alternative goal-keeper · alternative goal keeper

  1. hobbiesA designated player that attempts to prevent the opposing team from scoring by protecting a goal.

    Fahd Saleh was a professional goalkeeper at one of Syria's top football clubs before fleeing the civil war.

    2025 May 1, Jeremy Ball, “Refugee goalie 'over the moon' to coach for England”, in BBC
    2 more examples

    Krohn-Dehli took advantage of a lucky bounce of the ball after a battling run on the left flank by Simon Poulsen, dummied two defenders and shot low through goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg's legs after 24 minutes.

    2012 June 9, Owen Phillips, “Euro 2012: Netherlands 0-1 Denmark”, in BBC Sport

    Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the other team.

    2018, Ace Banking And Static Awareness, page 273

    Synonyms: goalie, goalminder, goaltender, keeper, netkeeper, netminder, stopper

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA designated player that attempts to prevent the opposing team from scoring by protecting a goal.

Similar
goaliegoalmindergoaltenderkeepernetkeepernetminderstopper

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe soccer or hockey player assigned to protect the goal

Similar
goaliegoaltendernetkeepernetminder
Broader
athletejockplayerparticipant

nounthe defensive position on an ice hockey or soccer or lacrosse team who stands in front of the goal and tries to prevent opposing players from scoring

Similar
goaliegoaltendernetkeeper
Broader
position
Also see
goaliegoaltendernetkeepernetminder

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Germanic*gailō
  3. Proto-West Germanic*gailu
  4. Old English*gāl
  5. Middle Englishgol
  6. Englishgoal
  7. Englishkeeper
  8. Englishgoalkeeper

From goal + keeper.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans doelwagter
  • doelwagterplayer that protects a goal
Arabic حَارِس مَرْمَى, حَارِس
  • حَارِس مَرْمَى (ḥāris marmā)player that protects a goal
  • حَارِس (ḥāris)player that protects a goal
Basque atezain
  • atezainplayer that protects a goal
Bulgarian вратар
  • вратар (vratar)player that protects a goal
Catalan porter
  • porterplayer that protects a goal
Chinese Mandarin 守門員 /守门员, 門將 /门将
  • 守門員 /守门员 (shǒuményuán)player that protects a goal
  • 門將 /门将 (ménjiàng)player that protects a goal
Czech brankář
  • brankářplayer that protects a goal
Danish målmand, målvogter
  • målmandplayer that protects a goal
  • målvogterplayer that protects a goal
Dutch keeper, doelwachter
  • keeperplayer that protects a goal
  • doelwachterplayer that protects a goal
  • doelwachtsterplayer that protects a goal
  • doelmanplayer that protects a goal
Esperanto golulo, golulino
  • goluloplayer that protects a goal
  • golulinoplayer that protects a goal
Estonian väravavaht
  • väravavahtplayer that protects a goal
Finnish maalivahti, veskari
  • maalivahtiplayer that protects a goal
  • veskariplayer that protects a goal
  • mokkeplayer that protects a goal
  • molariplayer that protects a goal
  • veskaplayer that protects a goal
  • veräjänvartijaplayer that protects a goal
  • reppuriplayer that protects a goal
French gardien de but, gardienne de but
  • gardien de butplayer that protects a goal
  • gardienne de butplayer that protects a goal
  • gardienplayer that protects a goal
  • gardienneplayer that protects a goal
  • goalplayer that protects a goal
  • portierplayer that protects a goal
  • portièreplayer that protects a goal
German Torwart, Torwartin
  • Torwartplayer that protects a goal
  • Torwartinplayer that protects a goal
  • Torhüterplayer that protects a goal
  • Torhüterinplayer that protects a goal
  • Torwächterplayer that protects a goal
  • Torwächterinplayer that protects a goal
  • Tormannplayer that protects a goal
  • Torfrauplayer that protects a goal
  • Keeperplayer that protects a goal
  • Keeperinplayer that protects a goal
  • Schlussmannplayer that protects a goal
  • Schlussfrauplayer that protects a goal
Greek τερματοφύλακας
  • τερματοφύλακας (termatofýlakas)player that protects a goal
Hebrew שוער
  • שוערplayer that protects a goal
Hindi गोल रक्षक, गोलकीपर
  • गोल रक्षक (gol rakṣak)player that protects a goal
  • गोलकीपर (golkīpar)player that protects a goal
Hungarian kapus
  • kapusplayer that protects a goal
Icelandic markvörður
  • markvörðurplayer that protects a goal
Indonesian penjaga gawang
  • penjaga gawangplayer that protects a goal
Italian portiere
  • portiereplayer that protects a goal
Japanese ゴールキーパー, キーパー
  • ゴールキーパー (gōrukīpā)player that protects a goal
  • キーパー (kīpā)player that protects a goal
Korean 골키퍼, 키퍼
  • 골키퍼 (golkipeo)player that protects a goal
  • 키퍼 (kipeo)player that protects a goal
  • 문지기 (munjigi)player that protects a goal
Latvian vārtsargs
  • vārtsargsplayer that protects a goal
Lithuanian vartininkas, vartininkė
  • vartininkasplayer that protects a goal
  • vartininkėplayer that protects a goal
Malay penjaga gol
  • penjaga golplayer that protects a goal
Māori kaikaro, kaiārai
  • kaikaroplayer that protects a goal
  • kaiāraiplayer that protects a goal
Norwegian Bokmål målvakt, målmann
  • målvaktplayer that protects a goal
  • målmannplayer that protects a goal
Persian دروازهبان
  • دروازهبان (darvâze-bân)player that protects a goal
Polish bramkarz
  • bramkarzplayer that protects a goal
Portuguese goleiro, guarda-redes
  • goleiroplayer that protects a goal
  • guarda-redesplayer that protects a goal
Romanian portar, portăriță
  • portarplayer that protects a goal
  • portărițăplayer that protects a goal
Russian врата́рь, голки́пер
  • врата́рь (vratárʹ)player that protects a goal
  • голки́пер (golkíper)player that protects a goal
Scottish Gaelic neach-glèidhidh, glèidheadair
  • neach-glèidhidhplayer that protects a goal
  • glèidheadairplayer that protects a goal
  • fear-bàireplayer that protects a goal
  • cùl-raoinidhplayer that protects a goal
Slovak brankár
  • brankárplayer that protects a goal
Spanish arquero, golero
  • arqueroplayer that protects a goal
  • goleroplayer that protects a goal
  • guardametaplayer that protects a goal
  • porteroplayer that protects a goal
  • cancerberoplayer that protects a goal
  • guardavallaplayer that protects a goal
  • cuidapalosplayer that protects a goal
  • guardapalosplayer that protects a goal
  • pascónplayer that protects a goal
  • pazcónplayer that protects a goal
Swahili golikipa, kipa
  • golikipaplayer that protects a goal
  • kipaplayer that protects a goal
  • mlinda langoplayer that protects a goal
Swedish målvakt, målis
  • målvaktplayer that protects a goal
  • målisplayer that protects a goal
Thai ผู้รักษาประตู, โกล
  • ผู้รักษาประตูplayer that protects a goal
  • โกล (gool)player that protects a goal
  • โกล์player that protects a goal
Turkish kaleci
  • kaleciplayer that protects a goal
Ukrainian ворота́р, голкі́пер
  • ворота́р (vorotár)player that protects a goal
  • голкі́пер (holkíper)player that protects a goal
Vietnamese thủ thành, thủ môn
  • thủ thànhplayer that protects a goal
  • thủ mônplayer that protects a goal
Welsh gôl-geidwad
  • gôl-geidwadplayer that protects a goal

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

gaolkeeper
Cite this entry
APA

goalkeeper. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goalkeeper

MLA

“goalkeeper.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goalkeeper. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “goalkeeper,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goalkeeper.

Source: goalkeeper on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.