short game
Americannoun
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the aspect of golf considered in relation to the ability of a player to hit medium or short shots, as chip shots, pitch shots, and putts, with accuracy.
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a card game in which not all cards in the pack are dealt before play.
Etymology
Origin of short game
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
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.
“You need to play a long game, not this short game that has been so detrimental,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
“Riviera really suits my game. Not the best putting, but I gave myself a lot of looks and my short game made up for some misses.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Her performance Thursday illustrated that while she is strong off the tee, her short game needs to develop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025
Having said that, the champion almost always knits together a blend of experience, recent form, distance off the tee and a crisp short game.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2025
The boys had a short game at skittles and a short game at bowls, and bought a few buns and an ice at the refreshment stall, and then departed schoolwards.
From The Willoughby Captains by Reed, Talbot Baines
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.
