What does football mean?
Football is one of the world's most popular sports: a team game in which two sides compete to move a ball into the opposing goal without using their hands (in association football) or by carrying and passing it (in American and other codes). The single word covers several distinct sports — soccer worldwide, American and Canadian football in North America, rugby football and Australian rules football elsewhere — so which game 'football' refers to depends heavily on where you are. It can also denote the ball used in play. Played professionally and informally at every level, football carries enormous cultural weight, inspiring fierce loyalties among fans and commanding vast audiences at events like the World Cup and the Super Bowl. For anyone writing for an international audience, clarifying which form of football is meant is often essential.
A team ball game in which players compete to score goals; especially association football (soccer), but also American football, rugby football, and similar codes.
"Millions of fans watch football every weekend during the season."
The specific sport meant varies by region.
The inflated ball used in playing football.
"The coach tossed him a football before practice."
Standard plural; commonly used when referring to multiple balls rather than multiple games.
"The equipment room stored a dozen footballs for the new season."
The word 'football' once described dozens of wildly different local ball games played across medieval England — often with entire villages as teams.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of football
The word 'football' is a straightforward English compound of 'foot' and 'ball', first recorded in English in the late medieval period (references to 'foteballe' appear by the 14th century). It originally referred to the many informal mob games played on foot in villages and towns, as opposed to mounted sports. As these games were codified in the 19th century into distinct sports — notably association football ('soccer') and rugby football — the name spread internationally, later extending to American football, a descendant of the rugby code.
Related word forms
How football is actually used
In most of the world 'football' means association football (soccer); in North America it typically means American or Canadian football, and in Australia it may mean Australian rules football. Speakers often use code-specific names (soccer, gridiron) to avoid ambiguity.
Easily confused with football
Foosball is a tabletop game with rods and miniature figures, whereas football is a field sport played on foot with a full-size ball.