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game face

American

[geym feys] / ˈgeɪm ˌfeɪs /

noun

a neutral or intense facial expression that suggests a focus on winning, as in a competitive sport or card game.

The game faces at this poker tournament are as unflinching as stone.

Etymology

Origin of game face

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

See Examples For:

game face

His game face is a study in microexpressions, from awkward smiles to eyebrow pops.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

But even an athlete as fierce as Jones accepts she may need to improve her game face when it comes to her upcoming face-off with Criss.

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026

Calvert, a lefty, had a steely-eyed game face, grinning only when she scored a point or stopped an opponent’s serve.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2025

Rodgers finished the game face down on the turf after a failed final play that ended with him throwing a lateral out of bounds.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2022

The aboatia puts his game face on, which means baring his teeth and puffing up his fur.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023