"football" means: A sport played on foot in which teams attempt to get a ball into a goal or zone defended by the other team.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
football
A sport played on foot in which teams attempt to get a ball into a goal or zone defended by the other team.
Seen in the wild
10 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Checkout this 2020-21 Liverpool Nike Air Max Shirt (XLB) £29.99 Buy Now or Make Offer https://www.thekitman.co.uk/product/2020-21-liverpool-nike-air-max-shirt-xlb/?fsp_sid=41846 Free UK P&P #TheKitman #202021 #L…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Oceanside’s Frontwave Arena getting minor-league hockey team https://www.newsbeep.com/us-ca/300933/ Oceanside’s Frontwave Arena is already home to San Diego’s minor-league basketball, soccer and football teams. Soon…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Now, I was always planning to take 👦 to a game. He loves football. Getting him to a game on his birthday is a great idea. But…it’s the OPENING OF A NEW STADIUM. He’s turning THREE. Am I a bad person if I don’t ta…
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BlueskyMay 2026
North Korea 🇰🇵 North Korea's women's football team Naegohyang will make a rare cross-border visit to South Korea for the Asian Women's Champions League semi-final, the first time North Korean athletes have crossed…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Show us the money! #NottinghamForest #NFFC #Football
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Definitions
Australia
#1·Apr 27, 2026AUS
A sport played on foot in which teams attempt to get a ball into a goal or zone defended by the other team.
Roman and medieval football matches were more violent than any modern type of football.
Origin: From , footbal, equivalent to , 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. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
"football" means: A sport played on foot in which teams attempt to get a ball into a goal or zone defended by the other team.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"football" means: A sport played on foot in which teams attempt to get a ball into a goal or zone defended by the other team.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Heard in the wild
“North Korea 🇰🇵 North Korea's women's football team Naegohyang will make a rare cross-border visit to South Korea for the Asian Women's Champions League semi-final, the first time North Korean athletes have crossed since 2018. buff.ly/FiMpdDF”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Show us the money! #NottinghamForest #NFFC #Football”
— Bluesky· May 2026““The last bastion of our precious union” I’m sitting here shaking ma head, what a fucked up mindset for supporting a football club, let’s hope he gets what he wants.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Even Noel Gallagher is a tinpot supporter. Fucked off after the third goal www.skysports.com/football/vid...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“🇧🇷 #Brazil 3-1 #Argentina (1982 #WorldCup) Timeless classic in #EstadideSarrià, #Barcelona! #brasil #spain #españa #football #footballnews #footballculture #fyp #bluesky #sport #sports”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Australia
#2·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(countable) The ball used in any game called "football".
The player kicked the football.
Heard in the wild
“Checkout this 2020-21 Liverpool Nike Air Max Shirt (XLB) £29.99 Buy Now or Make Offer https://www.thekitman.co.uk/product/2020-21-liverpool-nike-air-max-shirt-xlb/?fsp_sid=41846 Free UK P&P #TheKitman #202021 #Liverpool #Nike #Football #Soccer #Footballshirt #SoccerJersey”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Oceanside’s Frontwave Arena getting minor-league hockey team https://www.newsbeep.com/us-ca/300933/ Oceanside’s Frontwave Arena is already home to San Diego’s minor-league basketball, soccer and football teams. Soon, the arena…”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Now, I was always planning to take 👦 to a game. He loves football. Getting him to a game on his birthday is a great idea. But…it’s the OPENING OF A NEW STADIUM. He’s turning THREE. Am I a bad person if I don’t take him because he won’t appreciate the gravity of the moment 😅😅😅”
— Bluesky· May 2026“FIFA invites Iran to Zurich for World Cup 2026 discussions – P.M. News https://www.europesays.com/ch/60423/ FIFA has officially invited the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) to its headquarters in Zurich for important talks regarding…”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Irish football legend Tony Cascarino backs France as winners ahead of World Cup Tony Cascarino on his World Cup winners, and his own time playing for Ireland”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Australia
#3·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(UK, Africa, Caribbean, South Asia, uncountable) Association football, also called soccer: a game in which two teams each contend to get a round ball into the other team's goal primarily by kicking the ball.
Hans Moleman Production presents: Man getting hit by football.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "football" (F)
fool rackfoolscreenfoopahfoosballfoosterfootfootballerfootball hooliganfootball hooliganismfootball playerfootfallfootfucker
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- American football67%
A team sport similar to rugby football, played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end.
- soccer66%
(Australian rules football) To kick the football directly off the ground, without using one's hands.
- football player63%
(soccer, UK) One who plays association football, aka soccer.