own goal

noun

1
chiefly British : a goal in soccer, hockey, etc., that a player accidentally scores against his or her own team
2
British : something that one does thinking it will help him or her but that actually causes one harm
The workers scored an own goal by demanding such high wages that no one could afford to employ them.

Examples of own goal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Democratic senators said in a Thursday hearing that the Trump administration is undermining its own goal of addressing antisemitism on college campuses by firing the federal staffers who investigate civil rights issues in schools. Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025 The Nigerian striker would ultimately force the Stiller’s own goal. Manuel Veth, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025 Tomas Soucek scored the team's only goal in the 21st minute, while the other goal came via a Leicester own goal. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025 More than once, post-match, Wilder said even the home support would have shaken hands on a 1-1 in the 89th minute after Junior Firpo had cancelled out Illan Meslier’s unfortunate own goal. Beren Cross, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for own goal

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Cite this Entry

“Own goal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own%20goal. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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