game

1 of 4

noun

ˈgām 

1

a(1)

: a physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other

(2)

: a division of a larger contest

(3)

: the manner of playing in a contest

(4)

: a particular aspect or phase of play in a game or sport

a football team's kicking game

(5)

: the set of rules governing a game

(6)

: the number of points necessary to win

(7)

: points scored in certain card games (as in all fours) by a player whose cards count up the highest

b

games plural : organized athletics

c(1)

: a field of gainful activity : line

the newspaper game

(2)

: any activity undertaken or regarded as a contest involving rivalry, strategy, or struggle

the dating game

the game of politics

also : the course or period of such an activity

got into aviation early in the game

(3)

: area of expertise : specialty sense 3

comedy is not my game

2

a(1)

: activity engaged in for diversion or amusement : play

(2)

: the equipment for a game

b

: often derisive or mocking jesting : fun, sport

make game of a nervous player

3

a

: a procedure or strategy for gaining an end : tactic

b

: an illegal or shady scheme or maneuver : racket

4

a(1)

: animals under pursuit or taken in hunting

especially : wild animals hunted for sport or food

(2)

: the flesh of game animals

b

: a target or object especially of ridicule or attack

—often used in the phrase fair game

c

archaic : pluck

gamelike

ˈgām-līk 

adjective

game

2 of 4

adjective (1)

1

a

: willing or ready to proceed

were game for anything

b

: having or showing a resolute unyielding spirit

2

: of or relating to game

game laws

gamely adverb

gameness noun

game

3 of 4

verb

gamed; gaming; games

transitive + intransitive

1

: to manipulate, exploit, or cheat in (a system, a situation, etc.) slyly or dishonestly for personal gain

game the tax system

… a male bus driver who tried to game a drug test by using his wife's urine …

—Chuck Shepherd

2

: to play video games

Globally [in 2019], more than two billion people play video games, including 150 million Americans (nearly half the country's population), 60 percent of whom game daily.

—Ferris Jabr

3

: to play for a stake : gamble

Is it the interest of any man to steal, to game, to waste his health and mental faculties by drunkenness …? No. All these are roads to ruin.

—Charles Dickens

see also gaming

4

archaic : to lose or squander by gambling

game

4 of 4

adjective (2)

: being a body part and especially a limb that is usually permanently impaired in function

Despite his eyeglasses and his game leg, early in 1900 [Erskine] Childers volunteered for the Boer War.

—Timothy Foote

Working his rifle lever with daunting speed despite his game arm …

—Ron Soodalter

Synonyms

Noun

• bout
• competition
• contest
• event
• match
• matchup
• meet
• sweepstakes
• sweep-stake
• tournament
• tourney

Adjective (1)

• amenable
• disposed
• fain
• glad
• inclined
• minded
• ready
• willing

Choose the Right Synonym for game

fun, jest, sport, game, play mean action or speech that provides amusement or arouses laughter.

fun usually implies laughter or gaiety but may imply merely a lack of serious or ulterior purpose.

played cards just for fun

jest implies lack of earnestness and may suggest a hoaxing or teasing.

hurt by remarks said only in jest

sport applies especially to the arousing of laughter against someone.

teasing begun in sport led to anger

game is close to sport, and often stresses mischievous or malicious fun.

made game of their poor relations

play stresses the opposition to earnest without implying any malice or mischief.

pretended to strangle his brother in play

Examples of game in a Sentence

Noun

poker and other gambling games

She scored a goal to tie the game.

We played a few games of chess.

That was a good game!

She won the first two games, but lost the set and the match.

children playing at their games

They are known to play a very rough game.

She has a strong all-around game.

She needs to improve her game if she wants to win the championship.

a football team with a strong running game

Adjective (1)

are you game for going out tonight?

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Heat came up short in the first two games of the first-round Eastern Conference series. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025

In his postseason career, Barkov has 19 goals and 62 points in 73 games. —Josh Yohe, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

Adjective

In the 2024-25 season, the percentage of back-to-backs in which a star player played one game but not the other (excluding multi-game injuries and Game 82) increased from 22% to 24%, according to NBA data. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Florence Pugh is always game to go there with her glam. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 23 Apr. 2025

Verb

He’s been doing this long enough to know how to game the system. —Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2025

Shuffling his pack infrequently, Glasner prefers to make a single change from game to game rather than wholesale amendments. —Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English game, gamen "delight, amusement, play, contest, pursuit of animals in sport," going back to Old English gamen, gomen "amusement, jest, pastime," going back to Germanic *gamano- (whence Old Saxon & Old High German gaman "amusement," Old Norse gaman "sport, amusement"), of uncertain origin

Adjective (1)

derivative of game entry 1 (earliest in phrase to die game "to meet death resolutely")

Verb

derivative of game entry 1

Adjective (2)

of obscure origin

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a(1)

Adjective (1)

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

1512, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective (2)

circa 1787, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing game

• ahead of the game
• a mug's game
• arcade game
• at the top of one's game
• a whole new ball game
• ball game
• beat someone at their own game
• big game
• board game
• card game
• confidence game
• con game
• Cornish game hen
• drinking game
• early/late in the game
• fair game
• fight game
• game ball
• game bird
• game changer
• game face
• game fish
• game hen
• game of chance
• game pad
• game plan
• game play
• game point
• game preserve
• game show
• game theory
• game warden
• give the game away
• got game
• guessing game
• head game
• home game
• mating game
• middle game
• mind game
• mug's game
• Murphy game
• name of the game
• off one's game
• on one's game
• on the game
• on top of one's game
• parlor game
• passing game
• perfect game
• platformer game
• platform game
• play (a game of) cat and mouse
• play the game
• return game
• Rock Cornish game hen
• role playing game
• shell game
• singing game
• skin game
• talk a good game
• the game is up
• the name of the game
• the only game in town
• video game
• waiting game
• war game
• zero-sum game

Rhymes for game

• aim
• blame
• brame
• came
• claim
• dame
• fame
• flame
• frame
• haim
• lame
• maim

Kids Definition

game

1 of 4 noun

ˈgām 

1

a

: activity engaged in for amusement

b

: fun entry 1 sense 1, sport

make game of a nervous player

2

a

: a procedure or strategy for gaining an end : tactic

b

: a line of work : profession

3

a

: a contest carried on following set rules for amusement, exercise, or reward

b

: a division of a larger contest

c

: the number of points necessary to win

d

: the manner of playing in a contest

4

a

: animals pursued or taken by hunting

b

: the flesh of game animals

c

: an object of ridicule or attack

—often used in the phrase fair game

game

2 of 4 verb

gamed; gaming

: gamble entry 1 sense 1a

game

3 of 4 adjective

gamer; gamest

1

a

: full of spirit or eagerness : determined

game to the end

b

: willing or ready to go

2

: of or relating to animals that are hunted

game laws

gamely adverb

gameness noun

game

4 of 4 adjective

: lame entry 1 sense 1b

a game leg

Legal Definition

game

intransitive verb

gamed; gaming

: to play for a stake : gamble