pregame

[pree-geym]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or happening in the period just before a sports game.

   The coach was interviewed in a pregame broadcast.

2. noting or relating to the consumption of liquor before attending a party or other event.

   pregame drinking.

noun

1. an event or broadcast relating to and occurring just before a sports game.

   Thirty people attended the pregame.

verb (used with or without object)

pregamed, pregaming 

1. to drink liquor before going to (a party, game, or other event).

   We pregamed at my house to save some money.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pregame¹

First recorded in 1910–15; pre- + game ¹

Example Sentences

It’s almost as if the Reds were intimidated even before the game began, as the Dodgers buried them in their thickest pregame brine.

From Los Angeles Times

And in what appeared to be one of his final days on the Dodgers’ big-league roster, Rortvedt went for a pregame nap.

From Los Angeles Times

Williams looks gigantic during pregame warm-ups compared to his teammates.

From Los Angeles Times

And in the batting cage pregame, Will Smith resumed taking swings, but only off softer foam balls, continuing to leave his status for next week in doubt as he tries to return from a right hand fracture.

From Los Angeles Times

Tyran Stokes appeared as a man among men as he stretched and worked his way through pregame drills, cameras lined up along the sideline aimed at the senior as if he was back on the AAU basketball circuit — and for good reason.

From Los Angeles Times