soccer

noun

soc·​cer ˈsä-kər 

: a game played on a field between two teams of 11 players each with the object to propel a round ball into the opponent's goal by kicking or by hitting it with any part of the body except the hands and arms

called also association football

Examples of soccer in a Sentence

Both of their children play soccer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Second-year coach Nate Lie’s Jayhawks (3-0-2) accomplished the next best result, however, in playing No. 2-ranked Florida State (2-0-1) to a 1-1 draw before 2,108 enthusiastic fans who made up the third-largest crowd in KU home soccer history. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2025

Her performances last season have now earned her a nomination for the Ballon d’Or Féminin, the greatest individual prize in soccer. —Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025

Arkansas soccer coach Colby Hale also joins the show to discuss this week's top-10 home matchup against No. 3 Duke. —Matt Jones, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2025

Women’s soccer was often seen as a nice-to-have, not a must-have. —Asli Pelit, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

by shortening & alteration from association football

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing soccer

• soccer mom
• table soccer

Rhymes for soccer

• blocker
• chalker
• cocker
• docker
• hawker
• hocker
• knocker
• locker
• mocker
• ocher
• rocker
• shocker

Kids Definition

soccer

noun

soc·​cer ˈsäk-ər 

: a football game with 11 players on a side in which a round ball is advanced by kicking it or by hitting it with any part of the body except the hands and arms

Etymology

by shortening and alteration of association football

Word Origin

Soccer is the world's most popular sport. In most countries, however, its name is not soccer but football. In England, where the modern game started, it is usually called either football or association football. The latter name comes from the fact that the rules of the game were standardized when the Football Association was founded in England in 1863. The word soccer comes from the last three letters of the abbreviation assoc., which stands for "association." Although the word soccer was first used in England, the only countries where it is now the usual name for the sport are the U.S. and Canada.