goal

(gōl)
n.

1. The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective. See synonyms at intention.
2. Sports.
   1. The finish line of a race.
   2. A specified structure or zone into or over which players endeavor to advance a ball or puck.
   3. The score awarded for such an act.
3. Linguistics.
   1. A noun or noun phrase referring to the place to which something moves.
   2. See patient (sense ).

[Middle English gol, boundary, possibly from Old English *gāl, barrier.]

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financial objective set by an individual or institution. For example, an individual investor might set a goal to accumulate enough capital to finance a child’s college education. A pension fund’s goal is to build up enough money to pay pensioners their promised benefits.
Investors may also set specific price objectives when buying a security.
For example, an investor buying a stock at $30 may set a price goal of $50, at which point he or she will sell shares, or at least reevaluate whether or not to continue holding the stock. Also called target price.

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The specific target towards which a person is striving. Well-defined goals play an important part in the motivation of exercisers and dieters, enabling individuals to direct their energies towards something tangible. Goal setting (choosing specific, objective, concrete targets) is regarded as very important by coaches and leaders of diet, health, and fitness groups.

In exercise and sport, well-defined goals improve the performance and quality of practice; in both weight control and exercise, achievable goals clarify expectations, relieve boredom, and increase pride and self-confidence. Ideally, goals should be specific, short term, and realistic but challenging. Sports scientists have shown that as goal difficulty increases, performance improves but only up to a critical point, after which performance deteriorates. Goals should not be set so high that they become impossible to attain, nor should they be set so low that they are not challenging. Generally, individually prescribed goals are more effective than one goal set for all members of a group. Occasionally, goals become a disincentive and detract from the original aims of a person. This happens when the process of attaining important goals becomes an end in itself (a condition known by sports psychologists as goal displacement). For example, swimmers who perform time trials in preparation for a major competition may expend more energy on the trial than the actual competition; consequently, they often exhaust themselves both physically and psychologically, and underperform when they want to do well.

noun

What one intends to do or achieve: aim, ambition, design, end, intent, intention, mark, meaning, object, objective, point, purpose, target, view, why. Idioms: end in view, why and wherefore. See planned/unplanned, purpose/purposelessness.

The end towards which an action, physical or mental, is directed, and towards which an individual consciously or unconsciously strives. A goal is a specific target that is either achieved or not. Well-defined goals play an important part in motivation, providing athletes with something concrete towards which to direct their energies. The setting of appropriate goals (see goal setting) is regarded as critical for all performers in sport.

IN BRIEF: The end point toward which effort is directed. Also: An area of a field into which a ball or puck is sent to score points in various games.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. — Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962).

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as in: to score a goal
sign description: The index finger of one hand penetrates through the fingers of the open 5-hand.

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Quotes:

"A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Zig Ziglar

"You cannot make it as a wandering generality. You must become a meaningful specific." - Zig Ziglar

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." - Zig Ziglar

"Famous archer, Howard Hill won all of the 267 archery contests he entered. He could hit a bullseye at 50 feet, then split first arrow with the second. Would it be possible for you to shoot better than him? YES, if he were blindfolded! How can you hit a target you can't see? Even worse, how can you hit a target you don't even have!? You need to have GOALS in your life!" - Zig Ziglar

"It is hard to begin to move when you don't know where you are moving, how to move, or if you are going to get there." - Peter Nivio Zarlenga

"Before I was ever in my teens, I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. My goal was to be the greatest athlete that ever lived." - Babe Didrikson Zaharias

See more famous quotes about Goals

n

The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed, such as the outcome of diagnostic, therapeutic, and educational management of a patient’s health problem.

For a list of words related to goal, see:

• General Sports Terminology
• Hockey
• Soccer

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See words rhyming with "goal."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Goal.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - mål

idioms:

• goal line    mållinie
• goal post    målstang

Nederlands (Dutch)
doel(punt), eindstreep

Français (French)
n. - (Sport) but, objectif

idioms:

• goal line    ligne de but
• goal post    poteau de but

Deutsch (German)
n. - Ziel, Tor, Treffer

idioms:

• goal line    Torlinie
• goal post    Torpfosten

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σκοπός, επιδίωξη, (αθλοπ.) γκολ, τέρμα

idioms:

• goal line    (αθλοπ.) γραμμή του κόρνερ/τέρματος
• goal post    (αθλοπ.) (κάθετο) δοκάρι τέρματος

Italiano (Italian)
scopo, goal, rete

idioms:

• goal line    traguardo
• goal post    palo della porta

Português (Portuguese)
n. - objetivo (m), gol (m) (Desp.)

idioms:

• goal line    linha (f) de meta
• goal post    trave (f) (do gol)

Русский (Russian)
цель, финиш, ворота (в футболе, хоккее и пр.)

idioms:

• goal line    линия между двумя стойками ворот
• goal post    штанга (ворот)

Español (Spanish)
n. - fin, finalidad, objetivo, gol, golpe certero, punto, tanto, meta, portería

idioms:

• goal line    línea de meta, línea de gol
• goal post    poste/palo de la portería o del arco

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - mål

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
目标, 得分, 终点

idioms:

• goal line    球门线
• goal post    足球等的门柱

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 目標, 得分, 終點

idioms:

• goal line    球門線
• goal post    足球等的門柱

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 목표, 결승점, 득점

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ゴール, 得点, 決勝点, 目標, 目的, 目的地

idioms:

• goal line    ゴールライン
• goal post    ゴールポスト

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) هدف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מטרה, יעד, שער, גול‬

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