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move the goalposts

to change the rules unfairly once progress is made

In Headline Expressions

In more detail

(idiom) to change the rules or requirements of something after it has already started, making it harder or unfair for others to succeed

Examples

• The company kept moving the goalposts on project requirements, making it impossible for the team to meet the deadline.

How to use move the goalposts

This idiom describes an unfair or frustrating situation where someone retroactively changes expectations, requirements, or conditions. It's used to criticize dishonest or inconsistent behavior. The phrase carries a strong implication of unfairness and is more informal and accusatory than synonyms like 'change the rules,' making it particularly effective in contexts where you want to express frustration about broken agreements.

Register: informal

Common phrases

• move the goalposts mid-way
• move the goalposts on someone
• constantly moving the goalposts
• move the goalposts after the fact

Synonyms

change the rules · shift the goalposts · move the target · change the criteria · alter the terms

Opposites

stick to the rules · keep the goalposts in place

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use this phrase without the sense of unfairness or manipulation—the idiom specifically implies bad faith or unreasonable behavior, not merely adjusting criteria in a neutral way.

Nearby in Headline Expressions

kick the can down the road, a hard sell, back to the drawing board, the elephant in the room

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained