small game

American

noun

wild animals and birds hunted for sport, as rabbits or doves, that are smaller than animals, as deer and bears, classified as big game.

small game British

noun

small animals that are hunted for sport

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of small game

First recorded in 1810–20

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.

See Examples For:

small game

"Just a small game for us next on Wednesday!"

From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026

RZSS, which runs a wildlife park nearby, used cage-type traps baited with venison and quail, a small game bird, to capture the cats.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2025

Twenty were related to hunting, including more spears but also finely balanced throwing sticks for downing small game or birds.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 31, 2024

During the rainy season, they ate avocados, nuts, various types of fruit, and small game, like rabbits.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Frightful took care of the small game supply, and now that she was an expert hunter, we had rabbit stew, pheasant potpie, and an occasional sparrow, which I generously gave to Frightful.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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