parlor game
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of parlor game
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
There was a long-running parlor game during his father’s first term about which of the children would run for president after daddy was done.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
It’s become a bit of a media-and-tech parlor game to try to estimate exactly what these losses are, on average.
From Slate • Apr. 14, 2026
Don't call it the "Marty Supreme" effect: table tennis is a growing sport in the United States, in part because of a new professional league giving the parlor game an ultra-competitive edge.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
A favorite futurist parlor game involves estimating the percentage of online content currently generated by machines.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
Perhaps the best way to understand this point is through the popular parlor game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
