game
1 Americannoun
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games
plural
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an amusement or pastime.
children's games.
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the material or equipment used in playing certain games.
The store started selling toys and games.
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a competitive activity involving skill, chance, or endurance on the part of two or more persons who play according to a set of rules, usually for their own amusement or for that of spectators.
Flag football is a game growing in popularity.
- Synonyms:
- competition, contest, sport
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a single occasion of such an activity, or a definite portion of one.
the final game of the season;
a rubber of three games at bridge.
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the number of points required to win a game.
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the score at a particular stage in a game.
With five minutes to play, the game was 7 to 0.
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a particular manner or style of playing a game.
Her game of chess is improving.
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anything resembling a game, as in requiring skill, endurance, or adherence to rules.
She's an expert at the game of diplomacy.
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a trick or strategy.
They can see through your game.
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something treated lightly or lacking in seriousness; sport.
That's enough of your games!
When I was young, love was just a game to me.
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wild animals, including birds and fishes, such as those hunted for food or taken for sport or profit.
The area is particularly rich in game.
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the flesh of such wild animals, used as food.
The cook made a dish of game.
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any object of pursuit, attack, abuse, etc..
The new boy at school seemed to be fair game for practical jokers.
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Informal. a business or profession.
He's in the real-estate game.
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Informal. the ability to attract or charm romantic or sexual partners.
He's got no game—hasn't had a date in months.
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Archaic. fighting spirit; pluck.
adjective
verb (used without object)
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games,
present (3rd person singular)
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gamed,
past participle, past
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gaming
present participle
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to play games of chance for stakes; gamble.
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Digital Technology. to play computer or video games.
verb (used with object)
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games,
present (3rd person singular)
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gamed,
past participle, past
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gaming
present participle
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to squander in games of chance (usually followed byaway ).
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to manipulate to one's advantage, especially by trickery; attempt to take advantage of.
The policy is flawed and many people try to game the system.
idioms
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off one’s game,
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Sports. playing badly.
You can tell the pitcher's off his game—he's walked three batters in a row.
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not performing as well as usual.
The showrunner and her writers are off their game, and episodes this season drag on without the humor and lightness fans had come to expect.
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play games, to act in an evasive, deceitful, manipulative, or trifling manner in dealing with others.
Don't play games with me—I want to know if you love me or not!
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play the game,
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to act or play in accordance with the rules.
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to act honorably or justly.
We naively assumed that our allies would continue to play the game.
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die game,
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to die after a brave struggle.
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to remain steadfast or in good spirits at the moment of defeat.
He knew that as a candidate he didn't have a chance in the world, but he campaigned anyway and died game.
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make game of, to make fun of; ridicule.
It's cruel to make game of the weak and defenseless.
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on one’s game,
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Sports. playing well.
You need to recruit experienced players who will be on their game coming straight off the bench.
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performing well, or as well as usual.
She’s been noticeably sharper and really on her game since she came back from vacation.
-
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talk a big / good game, to make exaggerated claims or promise extraordinary results.
The PR team talks a big game, but revenue for their department has been flat for three years running.
adjective
noun
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an amusement or pastime; diversion
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a contest with rules, the result being determined by skill, strength, or chance
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a single period of play in such a contest, sport, etc
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the score needed to win a contest
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a single contest in a series; match
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(plural; often capital) an event consisting of various sporting contests, esp in athletics
Olympic Games
Highland Games
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equipment needed for playing certain games
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short for computer game
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style or ability in playing a game
he is a keen player but his game is not good
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a scheme, proceeding, etc, practised like a game
the game of politics
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an activity undertaken in a spirit of levity; joke
marriage is just a game to him
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wild animals, including birds and fish, hunted for sport, food, or profit
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( as modifier )
game laws
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the flesh of such animals, used as food: generally taken not to include fish
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an object of pursuit; quarry; prey (esp in the phrase fair game )
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informal work or occupation
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informal a trick, strategy, or device
I can see through your little game
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obsolete pluck or courage; bravery
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slang prostitution (esp in the phrase on the game )
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to reveal one's intentions or a secret
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to make fun of; ridicule; mock
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playing badly
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playing well
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to behave fairly or in accordance with rules
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there is no longer a chance of success
adjective
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informal full of fighting spirit; plucky; brave
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informal extremely brave; indomitable
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informal (usually foll by for) prepared or ready; willing
I'm game for a try
verb
adjective
Usage
What does game mean? A game is an activity for amusement, particularly with rules that guide the action, like musical chairs. A game is also the materials needed to play certain games, such as a checkerboard and disks for playing checkers. A game is also a competitive activity, like football, or a single occasion of the activity. To game is to play computer or video games or to gamble. To game is used figuratively to mean to cheat or manipulate to one’s advantage. Example: I have never been to a game that was this slow and boring.
Synonym Usage
See play.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gamesimple
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gamessimple
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have gamedperfect
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has gamedperfect
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am gamingprogressive
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are gamingprogressive
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is gamingprogressive
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have been gamingperfect progressive
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has been gamingperfect progressive
Past
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gamedsimple
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had gamedperfect
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was gamingprogressive
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were gamingprogressive
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had been gamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of game1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun game, gam, gamme “joy; pleasure; sport; hunting,” Old English gaman, gomen; cognate with Old High German gaman “glee”
Origin of game2
First recorded in 1775–85; origin uncertain
Explanation
A game is a contest or pastime. Football, checkers, Monopoly, volleyball, Ms. Pacman — they're all fun games to play. Some games are simple, like Connect Four or Tic Tac Toe. Others are played for millions of dollars, like professional basketball. Games usually have winners and losers, and people play them because they're fun. Other meanings of this word have less to do with playing: If you're a salesperson, you could say you're in the sales game. Wild animals that you hunt and eat are called game. And being game can mean you have disabled feet or legs.
Vocabulary lists containing game
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:
After the game, it’s most likely time for movie night with the family, whether that means we’re going to a movie or if we’re popping one off at the house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Higher component and memory costs, weak hardware momentum and limited blockbuster game releases remain the key risks, the analyst says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
At the time, Burnam said it was "depressing to see media mission to discredit someone who stops playing their game" and urged Brand to "keep going".
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The most significant game of Angelina Anderson’s season was also her worst.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
That hundred dollar monkey dropped down from a sycamore tree and landed smack in the center of the game trail I was walking on.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
James has played in 74 games during his young career, including 42 last season when he averaged 2.9 points and 1.2 assists in 8.9 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Ronaldo was available again after serving a 30-day suspension from international duty - a period that did not include any national team games.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The analyst notes that Nintendo could have posted further growth in software sales with more first-tier games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Several other studios delayed the release of new games to avoid being caught in the hype cycle around GTA VI.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
“Don’t they have video games in the future?”
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
And, if you’re a gamer but not a horror connoisseur, Nadira Goffe helpfully breaks down whether Resident Evil will be too scary for you, using Slate’s highly scientific Scaredy Scale.
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026
Mike Demopoulos, a 40-year-old gamer in Minnesota who works in web hosting and has a Pac-Man tattoo, subscribed to SuperPower soon after reading about the clean-energy initiative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
"My initial reaction was one of confusion and shock," Ben, a UK-based 24-year-old gamer who covers GTA news on social media, told me following the announcement.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
A venue in Rotterdam turned itself over to fantasy dress-up and gamer fanaticism on the weekend, with thousands attending TwitchCon Europe.
From Barron's ● May 30, 2026
Foraging in the woods and rubbish heaps, gathering fallen grain-heads in the autumn—these were honorable ways to gamer a meal, requiring time and work.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
“He was one of the coolest, neatest, kindest, gamest horses I’ll ever have. When I saw him in there, my heart sank.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2017
Lots of good intentions and the gamest efforts of able leading actors, respectively Gary Oldman and Ed Harris, could not breathe life into those turkeys.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2010
Jesse Livermore, a friend from pre-War days in Chicago, Broker Block has called "the gamest and cleverest trader alive."
From Time Magazine Archive
Filion, who won 17 races with him in '68, says fondly: "He was the gamest horse I ever saw."
From Time Magazine Archive
Whatever else he may have been, he was certainly one of the gamest fighting cocks that ever lived.
From Bible Romances First Series by G. W. (George William) Foote
Unlike sports or elections, he said, there’s no regulator keeping watch over whether a reality show market is being run — or gamed — fairly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Then we should tighten the existing R&D tax credit, a benefit that is being gamed by firms that are no longer at the cutting edge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
But under a "worst-case scenario" gamed out by Eurasia Group, damage to Iran's oilfields permanently hits the country's exports, while the precarity to Hormuz traffic persists.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
However, SEC rules governing derivative-linked volatility could probably be gamed to a certain extent, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025
Eisman didn’t know exactly how the rating agencies had been gamed.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Teams fully in the program include gaming, Windows, Copilot, human resources and finance.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
And, in the gaming world, angry fan reactions can be serious.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Microsoft previously cut nearly 5,000 jobs in July that heavily targeted its Xbox gaming division.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
Microsoft also owns social network LinkedIn, developer platform Github and gaming studios such as Xbox and Activision Blizzard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
But still, clunker that it was, the four-year-old gaming console in the family room worked.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
