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mind games

American  

plural noun

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

mind games British  

plural noun

  1. 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.

Joshua was not playing along with any mind games, though.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

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 • Oct. 23, 2025

He was then accused of mind games and pot-stirring by Lions head of performance David Nucifora.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2025

"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 • Jun. 22, 2025

These kinds of bizarre mind games were commonplace working with Sam.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.