What does goaltender mean?
A goaltender is a player responsible for defending the goal. The term is especially established in North American hockey, where the goaltender protects the net from shots and occupies the goal crease. It can also refer to a goalkeeper in football or similar sports, but goalkeeper is the more usual term in British English and much international soccer usage. Goaltenders are valued for their reactions, positioning, and control, making the position as much a test of anticipation and composure as of athleticism. In team sports, the word carries no special stigma; it is ordinary, professional vocabulary rather than slang. The name describes the player's function directly: the person who tends the goal. It is therefore a useful example of how a compact compound can become the standard label for a specialist sporting role.
nounA player whose role is to defend the goal, especially in ice hockey. In North American usage it can also refer to a goalkeeper in football or a similar sport.
- A player who guards the goal, especially in ice hockey; more broadly, a goalkeeper in football or another goal-based sport.
"The rookie goaltender made an impressive 38 saves during the game."
"Their goaltender stopped every shot in the shootout."
"The club signed an experienced goaltender to strengthen its defense."
The standard plural form, used when referring to more than one player who defends the goal.
"Both goaltenders were named to the league's first team."
In a sport where pucks can flash through the net in fractions of a second, the goaltender is the last line of defense.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of goaltender
The word was formed in English in the late nineteenth century by combining goal with tender, used in the sense “to tend or attend to.” Goal names the target being defended, while tender draws on the older vocabulary of care and attendance. Goalkeeper is a closely related English formation, and goaltending is the corresponding gerund.
Related word forms
How goaltender is actually used
Neutral, standard sports vocabulary in North American English, especially for ice hockey. It may be used attributively before a player's name or a descriptive term.
Easily confused with goaltender
Goaltender is especially common in North American hockey, whereas goalkeeper is the more general and internationally usual term.