gaming

noun

gam·​ing ˈgā-miŋ 

1

: the practice or activity of playing games for stakes : gambling

After a six-decade absence, casino gaming makes its return next month to this Southern Indiana valley, once famous for luxury resorts that attracted the nation's elite.

—Michael Rubino

In the same way, casino owners almost never refer to "gambling," which brings to mind damp basements and dice, but always "gaming," which suggests Whist or Scrabble enjoyed in front of a crackling fireplace.

—Wayne Curtis

—often used before another noun

the gaming industry

2

: the practice or activity of playing games (such as board games, card games, or video games)

online/mobile/PC gaming

When most people think of computer gaming, they envision some things that aren't exactly politically correct. Things like blazing lasers, spattering blood and beheaded aliens. However, Internet gaming really does offer something for everyone.

—Kim Komando

—often used before another noun

You can get curved gaming monitors too, for added immersion in certain games.

—Jon Martindale

After looking through the gaming options, we decided on Quick Draw—a game that gives one participant a word to draw, while the other callers try to guess what the word is.

—Becca Miller

Examples of gaming in a Sentence

He does a lot of gaming online.

Recent Examples on the Web

The tipping point came when his gaming habits increased and their connection decreased. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025

Hollywood’s not alone in its attempts to muster up funding from the Middle East — both the sports and gaming worlds have tapped into Saudi money. —Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025

Tribal nations lacked the funds to purchase the lands back from non-tribal sellers until the advent of tribal gaming in the 1990s. —Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 4 Dec. 2025

Other panelists shared how the gaming industry was exploring the use of AI. —Angelica Ang, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

game entry 1 or game entry 3 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1501, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gaming

• tabletop gaming

Rhymes for gaming

• aiming
• blaming
• claiming
• flaming
• framing
• laming
• maiming
• naming
• shaming
• taming
• declaiming
• defaming

Kids Definition

gaming

noun

gam·​ing

ˈgā-miŋ

1

: the practice of gambling

2

: the acting out of a situation (as war) for training or testing

3

: the playing of video games