own goal

noun

chiefly British : a goal in soccer, hockey, etc., that a player accidentally scores against his or her own team

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 The Spanish squad made mistake after mistake, the most embarrassing being an own goal in the sixth minute that gave Brazil an early 1-0 lead. —

Gadi Schwartz, NBC News, 7 Aug. 2024 The interior held up in pass protection for some Jones completions with top defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (illness) not practicing, including one Jones throw to Malik Nabers with the offense backed up against its own goal line. —

Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 29 July 2024 Spain has played a sloppy first half against Brazil in this semifinal, putting its opponents ahead minutes into the match with an own goal and unable to make up for the loss. —

Gadi Schwartz, NBC News, 7 Aug. 2024 Related article How 19-year-old Arda Güler, dubbed ‘the Turkish Messi,’ lit up the European Championship The Turkish defender gave his side the perfect start after just 57 seconds, blasting home from close range following some pinball in the Austria box which almost resulted in an own goal. —

Ben Morse, CNN, 2 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for own goal

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'own goal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.