football
football Lexical Profile
football Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A field game played by two teams attempting to score points by moving a spherical or oval ball into the opposing team's goal area, encompassing various regional codes such as association football, American football, and rugby.
"Millions of passionate fans gathered around their televisions to watch the final football match of the global tournament."
The inflated ball, either spherical or oval-shaped, that is used to play any of the various sports known as football.
"The quarterback gripped the football tightly before throwing a long pass down the field."
A topic, issue, or problem that is continually debated, manipulated, and passed back and forth between opposing political groups or individuals without resolution.
"Healthcare policy has unfortunately been used as a political football during recent election campaigns."
Word Nuance & Usage
The precise meaning of 'football' varies significantly by region; in most of the world it refers to association football (soccer), while in North America it almost exclusively denotes gridiron football.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'footballe', a compound of 'foot' and 'ball'. The term historically distinguished games played on foot from those played on horseback, rather than strictly implying the ball was kicked.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.