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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Match Actions & Skills

Dribble

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/ˈdrɪbəl/verbCore term

In football (soccer), dribble means: To run with the ball while keeping it under control with small touches, often to get past one or more opponents.

In Turkish: top sürmek, çalım atmak

How it is used

Players dribble past, round or through defenders. The noun is also dribble, and statistics count successful dribbles. Coaches warn against dribbling too much in your own half, while fans love a player who can dribble in tight spaces.

Example sentences

  1. He dribbled past three players before shooting.

  2. Don't dribble out of defence; keep it simple.

Common collocations

  • dribble past a defender
  • dribble the ball
  • successful dribble
  • close dribbling
  • wingerAn attacking player who plays near the touchline on the right or left, using pace and dribbling to beat defenders and create chances.
  • playmakerA creative player, often a midfielder, who directs the team's attacking play and creates chances with clever passes and vision.
  • tackleAn attempt to take the ball away from an opponent with your feet. A fair tackle wins the ball; a mistimed or reckless one is a foul.
  • passA kick, header or throw that sends the ball to a teammate. As a verb, to pass means to send the ball to a teammate in this way.

More terms: Match Actions & Skills

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