The English team beat the Brazilian team in the international football tournament.
Source: tatoeba (26167)
Football
/ˈfʊtbɔːl/
Synonyms for "football" (50 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (10)
Noun(9 words)
Strong matches (15)
Noun(7 words)
Related words (25)
Noun(16 words)
footiefootygame-relatedgear-relatedgridiron footballleagueorganizationalpigskinpigskinspillrugby ballsoccer ballsoccer footballsport-relatedvflwogball
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: ball, gridiron, soccer, administrative, afl.
- Sentence evidence is available for football, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, opengloss, derived_reverse, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "football".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "football"
Keep "football" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "football" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "football", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "football" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
15 entriesathleticsballcompetitioncontact sportcultureequipmentfield gamegamegeargovernancepolicyprotective gearsportsports equipmentteam sport
More specific
16 entriesAmerican footballarena footballassociation footballbeach footballcollege footballfive-a-side footballfootball bootsfootball broadcastingfootball governancefootball helmetfootball sponsorshipfutsalleather footballprofessional footballsynthetic footballtraining ball
Collocations
10 entriesAmerican footballassociation footballfootball culturefootball fanfootball fieldfootball leaguefootball matchfootball seasonfootball stadiumfootballer
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
2 entriesTranslations
33 translations across 20 languages.
Armenian
2 entries- ավստրալական ֆուտբոլ noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
- ռեգբիլիգ noun (game in New South Wales, Queensland)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 澳式足球 noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 澳式足球 noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
Czech
1 entries- australský fotbal noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
Danish
4 entries- australsk fodbold noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
- fodbold noun (practise of any of these games)
- fodboldspil noun (practise of any of these games)
- rugby noun (game in New South Wales, Queensland)
Dutch
1 entries- voetballen noun (practise of any of these games)
Estonian
1 entries- jalgpall noun (practise of any of these games)
Faroese
1 entries- avstralskur fótbóltur noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
Finnish
3 entries- australialainen jalkapallo noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
- jalkapallo noun (practise of any of these games)
- rugby league noun (game in New South Wales, Queensland)
French
2 entries- football australien noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
- rugby à XIII noun (game in New South Wales, Queensland)
German
1 entries- Australian Football noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
Macedonian
2 entries- австралиски фудбал noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
- рагби noun (game in New South Wales, Queensland)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- fotball noun (practise of any of these games)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- fotball noun (practise of any of these games)
Polish
2 entries- futbol australijski noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
- piłka nożna noun (practise of any of these games)
Romanian
4 entries- fotbal noun (practise of any of these games)
- fotbal australian noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
- joc de fotbal noun (practise of any of these games)
- rugbi în XIII noun (game in New South Wales, Queensland)
Russian
1 entries- австрали́йский футбо́л noun (game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
Scots
1 entries- fitbaw noun (practise of any of these games)
Welsh
1 entries- pêl-droed noun (practise of any of these games)
West-Frisian
1 entries- fuotbalje noun (practise of any of these games)
Sample sentences
29 total sentences available.
Though it was raining, we played football.
Source: tatoeba (26938)
The Roman football game was like the Greek game.
Source: tatoeba (29421)
Rugby, American football, and Australian rules football all come from soccer.
Source: tatoeba (29810)
Showing 4 of 29 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "football"?
Closest matches include ball, gridiron, soccer, administrative, afl.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "football"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.