| 1. | the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end. |
| 2. | the terminal point in a race. |
| 3. | a pole, line, or other marker by which such a point is indicated. |
| 4. | an area, basket, cage, or other object or structure toward or into which players of various games attempt to throw, carry, kick, hit, or drive a ball, puck, etc., to score a point or points. |
| 5. | the act of throwing, carrying, kicking, driving, etc., a ball or puck into such an area or object. |
| 6. | the score made by this act. |

goal (gōl) n.
[Middle English gol, boundary, possibly from Old English *gāl, barrier.] |
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)