short game
Americannoun
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the aspect of golf considered in relation to the ability of a player to hit medium or short shots, as chip shots, pitch shots, and putts, with accuracy.
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a card game in which not all cards in the pack are dealt before play.
Etymology
Origin of short game
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The unorthodox American's short game badly let him down.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
“You need to play a long game, not this short game that has been so detrimental,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026
“Riviera really suits my game. Not the best putting, but I gave myself a lot of looks and my short game made up for some misses.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
“It’s all part of the game — the long game, the short game, the medium game.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025
"Now, fellows, we're going to have a little different form of exercise to-morrow," announced the coach, at the conclusion of a short game one afternoon.
From Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Chapman, Allen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
