football: Meaning and Definition of

foot•ball

Pronunciation: (foot'bôl"), [key]
— n.
  1. a game in which two opposing teams of 11 players each defend goals at opposite ends of a field having goal posts at each end, with points being scored chiefly by carrying the ball across the opponent's goal line and by place-kicking or drop-kicking the ball over the crossbar between the opponent's goal posts. Cf. conversion (def. 13),(def. 1),(def. 6),
  2. the ball used in this game, an inflated oval with a bladder contained in a casing usually made of leather.
  3. Rugby (def. 3).
  4. soccer.
  5. something sold at a reduced or special price.
  6. any person or thing treated roughly or tossed about: They're making a political football of this issue.
  7. (cap.)Slang. a briefcase containing the codes and options the president would use to launch a nuclear attack, carried by a military aide and kept available to the president at all times.
—v.t.
  1. to offer for sale at a reduced or special price.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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