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Synonyms

video game

American  
[vid-ee-oh-geym] / ˈvɪd i oʊˌgeɪm /
Or videogame

noun

Digital Technology.

  1. any of various interactive games played using a specialized electronic gaming device or a computer or mobile device and a television or other display screen, along with a means to control graphic images.

  2. any of various games played using a microchip-controlled device, as an arcade machine or handheld toy.

video game British  

noun

  1. any of various games that can be played by using an electronic control to move points of light or graphical symbols on the screen of a visual display unit

"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 video game

First recorded in 1970–75

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.

“Speed running” is a video game term referring to players who try to complete games as quickly as possible, scurrying around hazards and taking shortcuts to skip through levels.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

It's just when cast into the video game matrix, those attributes were only exaggerated.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

US video game retailer GameStop made a takeover bid on Sunday to buy eBay for about $55.5 billion in an attempt to turn the online marketplace into a competitor to e-commerce giant Amazon.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

They include a Gen Z video game streamer, a longtime engineer for the city and a mental health worker pregnant with her third child.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

“Maybe it’s like a video game, and you get to access more powers and levels once you complete something?”

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

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.