: 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
The First Mover Eisner was one of the first of a string of American celebrities to invest in British soccer teams.
—
Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Genius Sports has locked up a deal with another top European soccer league.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 4 Aug. 2025
He wasn’t supposed to be on the field — a friend kept urging him to try out, but Lacayo’s father Luis, a former pro soccer player in El Salvador, hated American football.
—Noah Perkins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Santa Fe Yard, which will be the future home of the Denver Summit professional women’s soccer team, is in a similar situation.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soccer
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Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Genius Sports has locked up a deal with another top European soccer league.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 4 Aug. 2025
He wasn’t supposed to be on the field — a friend kept urging him to try out, but Lacayo’s father Luis, a former pro soccer player in El Salvador, hated American football.
—Noah Perkins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Santa Fe Yard, which will be the future home of the Denver Summit professional women’s soccer team, is in a similar situation.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 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 9 Aug. 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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