English Reference
noun · verb

goalie

n. · v.
US /ˈɡoʊɫi/ UK /ɡˈəʊli/ goalie UK spelling goalies

  1. 01 A2 Elementary Informal Sport

    n.the player in a game like football or hockey whose job is to stop the ball or puck from going into the goal.

    n.the player designated to defend the goal and prevent the opposing team from scoring. A common informal shortening of 'goalkeeper'.

    Simple

    Our goalie made a great save in the last minute of the game.

    In context

    The team's regular goalie was sidelined with a knee injury, forcing the coach to start an inexperienced substitute for the championship match.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Sport

    v.to play the position of goalkeeper in a game.

    v.to perform the duties of a goalkeeper; to tend the goal. This verbal use is less common than the noun and typically occurs in casual contexts.

    Simple

    It was my turn to goalie during the second half of the match.

    In context

    He spent the entire afternoon goalieing for his younger brothers in the driveway until it became too dark to see the ball.

    Usage

    The verb is intransitive and often appears in the progressive '-ing' form in casual speech.

    keep goalmind the net

Clipping of goalkeeper or goaltender + -ie.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Frequent
Updated