Goalpost

//ˈɡəʊlpəʊst// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    One of the two vertical side poles of a goal.

    "Some kids were having a kickabout on the grass beside the walkway, cheering, groaning, calling for the ball, absorbed in the game, a self-contained universe marked out by jackets for goalposts and invisible touchlines."

  2. 2
    one of a pair of posts (usually joined by a crossbar) that are set up as a goal at each end of a playing field wordnet
  3. 3
    The tall Y-shaped upright, now usually of fiberglass, at either end of the playing field, through which a football must go in order for a field goal to be scored. (They were originally H-shaped, with one wooden post on either side.)
  4. 4
    A rule or target that is "moved" (changed) unfairly; see move the goalposts.

    "[…] whatever you eat, how much you drink, you know the goalposts keep moving all the time, and it's difficult to be sure that, but I don't think it's harmful, not the amount I drink."

Example

More examples

"The goalpost blocked Gustavo's shot."

Etymology

From goal + post.

Related phrases

jumpers for goalpostsmove the goalpostsfield goalplaying field

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.