war game

American  

noun

Military.

1. a simulated military operation, carried out to test the validity of a war plan or operational concept: in its simplest form, two opposing teams of officers take part, and when necessary, military units of the required strength are employed.

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war game British  

noun

1. a notional tactical exercise for training military commanders, in which no military units are actually deployed

2. a game in which model soldiers are used to create battles, esp past battles, in order to study tactics

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verb

1. (intr) to prepare for battle by considering possible tactics and enemy responses

Etymology

Origin of war game

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

The two-day war games kicked off on Monday - nearly two weeks after the US announced one of its largest-ever arms sale to Taiwan.

From BBC

That “war game” should have shaken me up more than it did, however.

From Salon

The world's best-selling war game saga, "Call of Duty", releases its latest instalment Friday, under pressure to rival the strong launch of longtime competitor "Battlefield".

From Barron's

“They shouldn’t be the rope in this tug of war game that’s going on,” said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

From Salon

The annual Han Kuang war games, which rehearse a military response to a Chinese attack, have been revamped to replace scripted exercises with more realistic simulations.

From BBC

Related Words

• dress rehearsal
• tryout