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
Robertson had just scored the own goal that had drawn West Ham level at 1-1 and the substitute left-back was livid, blaming Van Dijk for his part in the penalty-box confusion.
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Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Although a very different player, Sané was brilliant against Augsburg and was unlucky that his deflected shot ahead of the third goal was counted as an own goal.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for own goal
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Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Although a very different player, Sané was brilliant against Augsburg and was unlucky that his deflected shot ahead of the third goal was counted as an own goal.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for own goal
Cite this Entry
“Own goal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own%20goal. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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