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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.

"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

In the years following Snoopy's debut in 1950, the beagle, a British breed originally raised to hunt rabbits and other small game, became a sensation.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2021

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

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