Goal

goal
    n 1: the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and
         that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to
         achieve it; "the ends justify the means" [syn: {goal},
         {end}]
    2: the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey); "a
       crowd assembled at the finish"; "he was nearly exhausted as
       their destination came into view" [syn: {finish},
       {destination}, {goal}]
    3: game equipment consisting of the place toward which players
       of a game try to advance a ball or puck in order to score
       points
    4: a successful attempt at scoring; "the winning goal came with
       less than a minute left to play"
    

Goal \Goal\, n. [F. gaule pole, Prov. F. waule, of German
   origin; cf. Fries. walu staff, stick, rod, Goth. walus, Icel.
   v["o]lr a round stick; prob. akin to E. wale.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. The mark set to bound a race, and to or around which the
      constestants run, or from which they start to return to it
      again; the place at which a race or a journey is to end.
      [1913 Webster]

            Part curb their fiery steeds, or shun the goal
            With rapid wheels.                    --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The final purpose or aim; the end to which a design tends,
      or which a person aims to reach or attain.
      [1913 Webster]

            Each individual seeks a several goal. --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A base, station, or bound used in various games as the
      point or object which a team must reach in order to score
      points; in certain games, the point which the ball or puck
      must pass in order for points to be scored. In football,
      it is a line between two posts across which the ball must
      pass in order to score points; in soccer or ice hockey, it
      is a net at each end of the soccer field into which the
      soccer ball or hocjey puck must be propelled; in
      basketball, it is the basket[7] suspended from the
      backboard, through which the basketball must pass.
      [1913 Webster +PJC]

   4. (Sport) The act or instance of propelling the ball or puck
      into or through the goal[3], thus scoring points; as, to
      score a goal.
      [PJC]

   {Goal keeper}, (Sport) the player charged with the defense of
      the goal, such as in soccer or ice hockey.
      [1913 Webster]
    

goal

   <programming> In {logic programming}, a {predicate} applied to
   its {arguments} which the system attempts to prove by matching
   it against the {clauses} of the program.  A goal may fail or
   it may succeed in one or more ways.

   (1997-07-14)
    

121 Moby Thesaurus words for "goal":
      Z, aim, ambition, anchorage, apodosis, aspiration, basis, bourn,
      butt, by-end, by-purpose, calling, catastrophe, cause, ceasing,
      cessation, coda, conclusion, consideration, consummation,
      crack of doom, culmination, curtain, curtains, death, decease,
      denouement, destination, destiny, doom, duty, effect, end,
      end in view, end point, ending, envoi, epilogue, eschatology,
      expiration, fate, final cause, final solution, final twitch,
      final words, finale, finality, finis, finish, function, game,
      grand slam, ground, guiding light, guiding star, harbor, haven,
      hit, hole, hole in one, home run, homer, ideal, inspiration,
      intention, izzard, last, last breath, last gasp, last stop,
      last things, last trumpet, last words, latter end, lodestar,
      mainspring, mark, matter, motive, object, object in mind,
      objective, omega, payoff, period, peroration, port, prey,
      principle, purpose, pursuit, quarry, quietus, quintain, reason,
      reason for being, resolution, resting place, sake, score, slam,
      source, spring, stop, stoppage, stopping place, strike, swan song,
      target, teleology, term, terminal, terminal point, termination,
      terminus, touchdown, ulterior motive, ultimate aim, use, vocation,
      windup