moved the goalposts

A form of move the goalposts — To alter the terms of an agreement or an agreed target, or the rules of a negotiation while it is ongoing, especially in an unfair way.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of move the goalposts.
Cite this entry
APA

moved the goalposts. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moved%20the%20goalposts

MLA

“moved the goalposts.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moved%20the%20goalposts. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “moved the goalposts,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moved%20the%20goalposts.

Source: moved the goalposts on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.