: 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
If cows can’t eat it, soccer shouldn’t be played on it.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2025
According to an affidavit filed against Phillips, a Lebanon, Ohio, police officer discovered an IED at a soccer complex at about 12:30 a.m. Sept. 22, 2024.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025
The outer layer is a knitted sports polyester reminiscent of my kids’ soccer shorts, there is an inner washable filter, and the layer that touches my face is an upcycled cotton.
ChicoBag claims that a single one of its masks replaces 547 single-use masks.
—Lisa Wood Shapiro, Wired News, 18 Apr. 2025
Baseball fans can get their fix at Kauffman Stadium or Legends Field, while soccer lovers can call CPKC Stadium or Children’s Mercy Park home for the season.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soccer
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Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2025
According to an affidavit filed against Phillips, a Lebanon, Ohio, police officer discovered an IED at a soccer complex at about 12:30 a.m. Sept. 22, 2024.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025
The outer layer is a knitted sports polyester reminiscent of my kids’ soccer shorts, there is an inner washable filter, and the layer that touches my face is an upcycled cotton.
ChicoBag claims that a single one of its masks replaces 547 single-use masks.
—Lisa Wood Shapiro, Wired News, 18 Apr. 2025
Baseball fans can get their fix at Kauffman Stadium or Legends Field, while soccer lovers can call CPKC Stadium or Children’s Mercy Park home for the season.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soccer
Cite this Entry
“Soccer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soccer. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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.
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