Noun

Singular football

Plural countable and uncountable; plural footballs

football (countable and uncountable; plural footballs)

1. (British, uncountable) A game in which two teams of eleven players each contend to get a round ball into the other team's goal primarily by kicking the ball. In amateur games it may be a team of five or six, or indeed any number.

   Each team scored three goals when they played football.

2. (US, uncountable) American football: a game similar to rugby football in which two teams attempt to get an ovoid ball to the end of each other's territory.

   Each team scored two touchdowns when they played football.

3. (Canadian, uncountable) Canadian football: a game played on a wide field in which two teams attempt to get an ovoid ball to the end of each other's territory.

   They played football in the snow.

4. (Australian, uncountable) Term used to refer to the same game as the British definition (association football).
5. (Australian, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, uncountable) Australian rules football.
6. (Australian, New South Wales, Queensland, uncountable) Rugby League.
7. (countable) The ball used in any game called "football".

   The player kicked the football.

8. Practise of these particular games, or techniques used in them.
9. (metaphorical) An item of discussion, particularly in a back-and-forth manner

   That budget item became a political football.

10. (Irish) A field game played with similar rules to hurling, but using hands and feet rather than a stick, and a ball, similar to, yet smaller than a soccer ball.
11. (slang) The nickname of the leather briefcase containing classified nuclear war plans, which is always near the US President.

Synonyms

• ("football" in Britain):
  • (all varieties of English): association football, soccer (all varieties of English), wogball (Australian racist slang)
  • (British slang): footie
• ("football" in the US): (British) American football, (Australian) gridiron, gridiron football
• ("football" in Canada): (outside Canada) Canadian football
• ("football" in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia): footy, Aussie Rules, VFL (outdated), AFL
• ("football" in New South Wales and Queensland): footy, league
• (ball):
  • (in all varieties of English and in all games called "football"): ball
  • (Australia: in Aussie rules and rugby): footy, pill
  • (Australia: in football (soccer)): soccerball
  • (in US: American football): pigskin

Derived terms

• American football
• arena football
• Australian rules football
• Barbarian football
• blow football
• Canadian flag football
• Canadian football
• Gaelic football

• five-a-side football
• flag football
• football hooligan
• football match
• football player
• footballer
• footballing
• foosball
• futbolín
• gridiron football
• table football
• touch football
• tackle football

Football is the name of several similar team sports, all of which involve (to varying degrees) kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer". However the word football is applied to whichever form of football became most popular in each particular part of the world. Hence the English language word "football" is applied to "gridiron football" (a name associated with the North American sports, especially American football and Canadian football), Australian football, Gaelic football, rugby league, rugby union, and related games. These rule variations are known as "codes."

These games involve:

• Two teams of usually between 11 and 18 players; some variations that have fewer players (five or more per team) are also popular
• a clearly defined area in which to play the game;
• scoring goals or points, by moving the ball to an opposing team's end of the field and either into a goal area, or over a line;
• goals or points resulting from players putting the ball between two goalposts
• the goal or line being defended by the opposing team;
• players being required to move the ball—depending on the code—by kicking, carrying or hand passing the ball; and
• players using only their body to move the ball.

In most codes, there are rules restricting the movement of players offside, and players scoring a goal must put the ball either under or over a crossbar between the goalposts. Other features common to several football codes include: points being mostly scored by players carrying the ball across the goal line; and players receiving a free kick after they take a mark or make a fair catch.

Peoples from around the world have played games which involved kicking or carrying a ball, since ancient times. However, most of the modern codes of football have their origins in England.