football

[foot-bawl] / ˈfʊtˌbɔl /

NOUN

a sport

Synonyms

STRONGEST

soccer

STRONG

rugby

WEAK

American football Association football Canadian football grid game gridiron pastime the pigskin sport

NOUN

the ball used in football

Synonyms

STRONG

moleskin oval peanut pigskin pineapple porker sphere watermelon

WEAK

inflated oval regulation football

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

West Germany won 2-1 to win the World Cup and beat the celebrated "total football" played by the Netherlands team of that era.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

He last played quarterback in eighth grade for flag football and decided to help himself recover faster from his knee injury by practicing throwing a football when he couldn’t run.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026

"I'm extremely happy that, at the end, it was football that won, that prevailed - 3-3 as a score says it all," he added.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

City Section football will be all about whether any team can improve enough to challenge defending champion Carson.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026

Only a handful of people are huddled near the holographic pucks, discussing animatedly among themselves like my teachers debating about who the worst football team is.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer