Football Meaning
/ˈfʊt.bɔːl/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA sport played on foot in which teams attempt to get a ball into a goal or zone defended by the other team.
nounThe ball used in any game called "football".
Sentence Examples
The English team beat the Brazilian team in the international football tournament.
Though it was raining, we played football.
The kids were outside playing football.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The children were kicking the round ____ around the park, enjoying the game.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The stadium was packed with excited fans who had come to watch the championship ____ match.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English fotbal, footbal, equivalent to foot + ball, because the ball was primarily manipulated with the feet in early versions of the game (though some modern varieties involve more handling than kicking). The name for the briefcase is a play on “dropkick”, the code name of an early version of the nuclear war plan.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The league said the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots used footballs that didn’t meet league specifications in the first half of the AFC championship game last Sunday."
— 2015 January 23, Ralph Ellis, “NFL says it’s looking into why footballs were deflated at Patriots game”, in CNN:
"“The coroner and the pathologist described how badly damaged my dad’s brain was,” his daughter Dawn told CNN in 2019. “He found that there was considerable evidence of trauma to the brain which he said was similar to the brain of the boxer. And he said that the main candidate for the trauma was heading the footballs."
— 2020 February 24, Jack Guy, “UK football authorities ban children from heading footballs in training”, in CNN:
"“Our research has shown that heading is rare in youth football matches, so this guidance is a responsible development to our grassroots coaching without impacting the enjoyment that children of all ages take from playing the game.”"
— 2020 February 24, Jack Guy, “UK football authorities ban children from heading footballs in training”, in CNN:
"According to Newsday, he took the ball to his team’s equipment staff, which then informed head coach Chuck Pagano, who told general manager Ryan Grigson, who told NFL director of football operations Mike Kensil, who told the officials on the field."
— 2015 January 23, Ralph Ellis, “NFL says it’s looking into why footballs were deflated at Patriots game”, in CNN:
"The weekend after AFL football chief Simon Lethlean made it clear players who jumper punched or punched opponents in the stomach would most likely be suspended, Jones was charged with striking Hawthorn’s Luke Breust."
— 2017 May 29, “Zak Jones fined for off-the-ball hit, escapes MRP suspension”, in Fox Footy, retrieved 25 Jul 2025:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The children were kicking the round ____ around the park, enjoying the game.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The stadium was packed with excited fans who had come to watch the championship ____ match.