zero-sum game

noun

Mathematics.

1. a game in which the sum of the winnings and losses of the various players is always zero, the losses being counted negatively.

zero-sum game

noun

1. (in game theory) a contest in which one person's loss is equal to the other person's gain

zero-sum game

1. A game in which the sum of the winnings by all the players is zero. In a zero-sum game, a gain by one player must be matched by a loss by another player. Poker is a zero-sum game if the house does not take a cut as a charge for playing.

zero-sum game

1. A game in which the winnings of some players must equal the losses of the others. Zero-sum games are mentioned in a political context when it is believed that resources are limited, and every decision will produce both winners and losers. In such situations, political decisions will be made on the basis of trade-offs between competing interests.

Word History and Origins

Origin of zero-sum game¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

It’s not necessarily a zero-sum game between the two companies.

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Alphabet’s offerings have improved, Reitzes said, but the AI trade “will still take a while to play out, and it could end up that AI is not “a zero-sum game.”

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She has said she believes AI is “not a zero-sum game” and that recent concerns about an overheated market for chips and data centers are exaggerated.

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The credit default swap was a zero-sum game.

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They view life as a zero-sum game, manipulating and showing little empathy or care toward others.

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