pregame

[ pree-geym ]

/ ˈpriˌgeɪm /

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adjective

of, relating to, or happening in the period just before a sports game: The coach was interviewed in a pregame broadcast.

noting or relating to the consumption of liquor before attending a party or other event: pregame drinking.

noun

an event or broadcast relating to and occurring just before a sports game: Thirty people attended the pregame.

verb (used with or without object), pre·gamed, pre·gam·ing.

to drink liquor before going to (a party, game, or other event): We pregamed at my house to save some money.

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Origin of pregame

First recorded in 1910–15; pre- + game¹

An NBA spokesperson told the Athletic that “under the unique circumstances of this season, teams are permitted to run their pregame operations as they see fit.”
The Dallas Mavericks will resume playing the national anthem before games|Timothy Bella|February 10, 2021|Washington Post
Additionally, the NFL’s pregame tailgate party will be broadcast on TikTok, with in-person attendance limited to 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers.
Even at half capacity, the Super Bowl could cause COVID-19 outbreaks|Kate Baggaley|February 5, 2021|Popular-Science
Meanwhile, pregame team meetings in the locker room will be limited to 10 minutes and masks are required for all attendees.
NBA’s tightened coronavirus protocols limit pregame hugs, hotel guests and going out in public|Ben Golliver|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
Philadelphia, which sat stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons with minor injuries, played Saturday over Coach Doc Rivers’s pregame objections.
Three games postponed as the NBA’s coronavirus woes mount|Ben Golliver, Des Bieler|January 10, 2021|Washington Post

That game featured a pregame verbal confrontation between Vrabel and Harbaugh.
Lamar Jackson gets his first playoff victory as Ravens hold Titans’ Derrick Henry to 40 yards|Mark Maske|January 10, 2021|Washington Post
The Orioles didn't press, partly because they've come to believe that pregame excuses are essential to Palmer.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Haka, a traditional Maori dance, is best known as the pregame ritual of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team.
Cartoon Streetfights, Giant Mutant Spider Dogs, and More Viral Videos|Jack Holmes|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The student-run pregame campsite, Paternoville, is now simply calling itself “Nittanyville.”
Penn State Goes Too Far in Its Purge of All Things Paterno|John Hendrickson|August 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The endgame of the war was even more poorly played than the pregame.
The Sins of the First Gulf War|Geoffrey Wawro|January 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
A pregame rally south of the Washington Monument featured drum circles and papier maché puppets.
Left-Wing Crazies Take Their Turn|John Avlon|October 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST