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mind games

American

plural noun

psychological manipulation or strategy, used especially to gain advantage or to intimidate.

mind games British

plural noun

actions or statements intended to undermine or mislead someone else, often to gain advantage for oneself

she started playing mind games with me

"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 mind games

1970–75

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.

If so, Bompastor would not be the first Blues boss to play media mind games.

From BBC

For the next several hours, Nick and Honey serve as unwitting pawns in the older couple’s clever, but vicious, mind games.

From The Wall Street Journal

Phil Pines and Ethan were part of Combs' small group of trusted assistants and say he often played mind games with staff.

From BBC

"I'm sure that lots of mind games will go on..." he told the Daily Telegraph, while mentioning the "mental spar" of Lions tours.

From BBC

She also read out a poem in response to criticism over her remarks on player-player relationships and admitted to playing "mind games" when she conceded Chelsea had lost the WSL title with defeat by Liverpool.

From BBC

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