football

== English == === Alternative forms === foot-ball, foot ball (dated) === Etymology === From Middle English fotbal, footbal, equivalent to foot +‎ ball, because the ball was primarily manipulated with the feet in early versions of the game (though some modern varieties involve more handling than kicking). The name for the briefcase is a play on “dropkick”, the code name of an early version of the nuclear war plan. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfʊtbɔːl/, [ˈfʊʔt̚bɔːl], [ˈfʊʔtʰbɔːl], [ˈfʊʔbɔːl] (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfʊtbɔl/, [ˈfʊʔtbɔɫ], [ˈfʊʔt̚bɔɫ] (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈfʊtbɑl/, [ˈfʷʊʔt̚bɑɫ] (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈfʊtboːl/ (Scotland, Northern Ireland) IPA(key): /fʉtbɔl/ (Indic) IPA(key): /fʊɖ(ɨ)bɔl/ Hyphenation: foot‧ball === Noun === football (countable and uncountable, plural footballs) A sport played on foot in which teams attempt to get a ball into a goal or zone defended by the other team. (countable) The ball used in any game called "football". Synonyms: see Thesaurus:football (UK, Africa, Caribbean, South Asia, uncountable) Association football, also called soccer: a game in which two teams each contend to get a round ball into the other team's goal primarily by kicking the ball. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:football (US, uncountable) American football: a game played on a field 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide in which two teams of 11 players attempt to get an ovoid ball to the end of each other's territory. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:football (Canada, uncountable) Canadian football: a game played on a field 110 yards long and 65 yards wide in which two teams of 12 players attempt to get an ovoid ball to the end of each other's territory. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:football (Australia, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, southern New South Wales, uncountable) Australian rules football. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:football (Ireland, uncountable) Gaelic football: a field game played with similar rules to hurling, but using hands and feet rather than a stick, and a ball, similar to, yet smaller than a soccer ball. (Australia, New Zealand) Any form of rugby. (chiefly New South Wales, Queensland, uncountable) rugby league. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:football (other parts of, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, uncountable) rugby union. (uncountable) Practice of these particular games, or techniques used in them. (figuratively, countable) An item of discussion, particularly in a back-and-forth manner (US military slang, countable) The leather briefcase containing classified nuclear war plans which is always near the US President. Synonyms: nuclear football, atomic football, black box, black bag Coordinate term: Cheget ==== Usage notes ==== The word football usually refers to the most popular football code in that country or region. In some places, multiple sports can be called football (for example, in Australia it may refer to soccer, Australian rules football, rugby union or rugby league depending on the area and speaker) and context can be required to tell to which sport it refers. In countries where no form of football is dominant, and among English as a second language speakers in general, football usually refers to association football (soccer) by default. ==== Hyponyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== foosball (from German: Fußball (Fussball), itself a calque of English: football) ==== Descendants ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === football (third-person singular simple present footballs, present participle footballing, simple past and past participle footballed) (intransitive, rare) To play football. === See also === Category:en:Football (soccer) for a list of terms used in football/soccer. === References === “football”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000. === Further reading === football on Wikipedia.Wikipedia football (word) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia American football on Wikipedia.Wikipedia nuclear football on Wikipedia.Wikipedia == French == === Etymology === Borrowed from English football. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fut.bol/, /fut.bal/ === Noun === football m (plural footballs) association football, soccer Synonyms: foot, (Louisiana) pelote au pied, (North America) soccer (Canada) Canadian football Synonym: football canadien (US) American football Synonym: football américain ==== Hyponyms ==== === Further reading === “football”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Interlingua == === Etymology === From English football. === Noun === football (uncountable) football (UK), soccer (US, Canada) == Italian == === Pronunciation === === Noun === football m (invariable) football Synonym: calcio == Middle English == === Noun === football alternative form of fotbal == Portuguese == === Pronunciation === === Noun === football m (uncountable) alternative spelling of futebol == Swedish == === Etymology === From English football, clipping of English American football. === Noun === football c American football Synonym: amerikansk fotboll ==== Usage notes ==== Found primarily in subtitling of television and movies, due to its brevity, where fotboll could be interpreted as association football.