field goal
noun
1
: a score of three points in football made by drop-kicking or placekicking the ball over the crossbar from ordinary play
2
: a goal in basketball made while the ball is in play
Example Sentences
He kicked a 20-yard field goal.
Recent Examples on the Web McManus’s 26-yard field goal with 6:13 left pulled the Broncos within 17-16. 
Tim Booth, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2022 The Browns had a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter before falling behind, 24-23, on an Eddy Pineiro 36-yard field goal with 1:13 left. Tim Bielik, cleveland, 11 Sep. 2022 Schive brought the Spartans within four points with a 23-yard field goal with 14:52 left in the game. al, 11 Sep. 2022 Edgewood junior David Rumpler added a 42-yard field goal with 2:54 left in the first quarter to wrap up the scoring in a game played mostly on the 60 yards between the 20s. Mark Schmetzer, The Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2022 Boone answered with a 32-yard field goal by Grant Reddick with three minutes to go in the opening period. J.c. Carnahan, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Sep. 2022 The Lions drove down to the Laker 15-yard line, but facing a fourth-and-one, Lions coach Larry Luthe elected to go for a 32-yard field goal with exactly one minute left. Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 9 Sep. 2022 Down by a field goal with only 13 seconds remaining, Allen and the Shamrock offense tried to power its way in for the game-winning score, but Center Grove (2-1) refused to break. The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2022 The Vikings were poised to beat the Seahawks when Blair Walsh lined up for what should have been a 27-yard game-winning field goal with 26 seconds remaining, but the kicker gagged and the Vikings lost. Steve Silverman, Forbes, 26 June 2022 See More
Tim Booth, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2022 The Browns had a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter before falling behind, 24-23, on an Eddy Pineiro 36-yard field goal with 1:13 left. Tim Bielik, cleveland, 11 Sep. 2022 Schive brought the Spartans within four points with a 23-yard field goal with 14:52 left in the game. al, 11 Sep. 2022 Edgewood junior David Rumpler added a 42-yard field goal with 2:54 left in the first quarter to wrap up the scoring in a game played mostly on the 60 yards between the 20s. Mark Schmetzer, The Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2022 Boone answered with a 32-yard field goal by Grant Reddick with three minutes to go in the opening period. J.c. Carnahan, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Sep. 2022 The Lions drove down to the Laker 15-yard line, but facing a fourth-and-one, Lions coach Larry Luthe elected to go for a 32-yard field goal with exactly one minute left. Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 9 Sep. 2022 Down by a field goal with only 13 seconds remaining, Allen and the Shamrock offense tried to power its way in for the game-winning score, but Center Grove (2-1) refused to break. The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2022 The Vikings were poised to beat the Seahawks when Blair Walsh lined up for what should have been a 27-yard game-winning field goal with 26 seconds remaining, but the kicker gagged and the Vikings lost. Steve Silverman, Forbes, 26 June 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
field goal
noun
: a score in football made by kicking the ball between the goalposts