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  • A game
    A game
    noun
    a person’s best effort, abilities, or achievement.
  • 'A' game
    'A' game
    noun
    one's best possible performance, esp in the phrase to bring or take one's 'A' game

A game

American  
Or A-game,

noun

Informal.
  1. a person’s best effort, abilities, or achievement.

    The candidate brought her A game to the debate.


'A' game British  

noun

  1. informal one's best possible performance, esp in the phrase to bring or take one's 'A' game

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of A game

In reference to a sports contest, with the letter A indicating peak performance

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.

"A game can't happen without two kits that distinguish the sides, and when you realise you can collect those, you think, I'm actually collecting pieces of a club's history."

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt brought their A game, embracing method dressing without going overboard.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

A game of energetic ping-pong unfolded underneath the gallery’s fluorescent light, beams of identification, recollections or stabs of grief bouncing off each piece in the exhibition.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The group A game between Canada and the USA is widely expected to be a dress rehearsal for next week's gold medal match given their dominance over the rest of the world.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

A game of darts which was going on at the other end of the room interrupted itself for perhaps as much as thirty seconds.

From "1984" by George Orwell