goaltending

noun

goal·​tend·​ing ˈgōl-ˌten-diŋ 

1

: the act of guarding a goal (as in hockey)

2

: a violation in basketball that involves touching or deflecting a ball that is on its downward path toward the basket or on or within the rim of the basket

Examples of goaltending in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Predators had pulled to 4-3 midway through the second — no, this was not a display of excellent goaltending on either end — before Fantilli scored an important goal, his second of the game, after a long shift by Columbus in its own end. —Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025

Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood have raised the bar on what the team can expect from the goaltending, and the defensive work in front of them can be great for long stretches of games. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 1 Apr. 2025

What the Canucks do have is an elite penalty kill, sturdy goaltending and a high defensive baseline. —Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025

The story of these Penguins will be that of a team that lost out on a playoff spot because it was too often betrayed by bad goaltending and comical defensive meltdowns. —Josh Yohe, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for goaltending

• amending
• appending
• ascending
• attending
• befriending
• commending
• contending
• defending
• depending
• descending
• distending
• expending