word game

American

noun

any game or contest involving skill in using, forming, guessing, or changing words or expressions, such as anagrams or Scrabble.

word game British

noun

any game involving the formation, discovery, or alteration of a word or words

"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

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:

word game

He tries to spend 60 uninterrupted minutes a day with his sons; when he tucks the eldest into bed, they play a word game and then pray.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Fox News played the same word game, with Lara Trump saying women can continue “having independent pursuits of their own” while also having a family — which happens to be what feminism has always advocated.

From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026

“Tonight” host Jimmy Fallon is producing a pilot based on the popular New York Times word game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026

As well as voting for their favourite bird, nature lovers have also been able to take part this year in a version of the popular web-based word game Wordle - called, of course, Birdle.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2025

Barry changed book to hidden book, and also added the word game to his search list.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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