game face

[geym feys]

noun

1. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of game face¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

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

As they move, their screens light up with different colors — crossing into “Winter Caverns” changes their game face to blue.

From Los Angeles Times

Employees, feeling like expendable pawns in a grand corporate chess game, face an enormous emotional strain having to choose between their job and their home.

From Seattle Times

For Hart, “Who’s Having My Baby?” will not drop in the spring, but Season 4 of his “Celebrity Game Face” will.

From Los Angeles Times

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