Synonyms

name of the game

American

noun

Informal.

the essential element, consideration, or ultimate purpose; key.

Profit is the name of the game in business.

Etymology

Origin of name of the game

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

“Getting the cost of inference down is the name of the game now.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Triple-digit sales growth is the name of the game for CoreWeave, and that will be the first thing Wall Street analysts will look at when earnings are released.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

For the brigade, the name of the game is community buy-in.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025

Nine match rounds of the Premier League season have taken place and scoring from set-pieces has so far been the name of the game.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2025

It was the name of the game in saber, where the sport was subjective and points determined by the referee.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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