Definition of "goaltending" []

• Sports The act of protecting a goal, as in hockey and other such sports. (noun)
• Basketball An illegal play in which a player deflects a ball that is on the downward path to the basket or that is already on the rim of the basket, carrying the penalty of an automatic score when committed by the defense or nullifying the field goal when committed by the offense. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Plus, their goaltending is among the best in the league and they are led by a coach who really is a student of the strategy of playoff hockey."
• "Facing a hungry Slovakia will be challenging, although the goaltending is a question mark."
• "Although goaltending is perceived to be a concern for Washington, the Caps has been plenty good enough."