noun
football
FUUT-bawl
noun
1
A sport where two teams try to score by getting a ball into a goal, especially soccer in most of the world or American football in the US.
"The whole town gathered to watch the football match."
"He played football for his school team for four years."
2
The ball used in such a game.
"The football flew over the fence and into the neighbor's garden."
3
Informal: an issue passed back and forth between people or groups without resolution.
"The proposal became a political football, kicked between committees for years."
How to Use Football
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA team sport played with a ball, or figuratively, a contentious issue nobody wants to fully own.
UK vs US
In the UK, "football" almost always means soccer; in the US, it usually means American football.
Common pairings
play football
football match
political football
Word Forms
footballed past tense, footballs plural, footballs singular
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The whole town gathered to watch the _____ match.
Etymology
From Middle English fotbal, "foot" + "ball," since the ball was originally moved mainly with the feet.