garbage time
noun
US, sports
: the final moments or minutes of a game in which one side has an insurmountable lead, substitutes often enter the game in place of starting players, and scoring is typically easier because of looser defensive play
… the forgotten foursome of Greg Kite, Fred Roberts, Sam Vicent and Conner Henry will be on call in case of extreme emergency and those meaningless minutes appropriately referred to as garbage time.—
Gerry Finn
Gerry FinnOne touchdown was all the Broncos' D allowed, and that came in garbage time.—Paul Zimmerman
Paul ZimmermanExamples of garbage time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Pats preferred to play out of base personnel for most drives before garbage time.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
The fourth quarter was largely garbage time.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Denver’s end-of-bench players briefly threatened to turn the game upside down in garbage time before Houston held on.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025
The Ducks crushed James Madison early, although the Dukes earned a backdoor cover in garbage time.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for garbage time
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Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
The fourth quarter was largely garbage time.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Denver’s end-of-bench players briefly threatened to turn the game upside down in garbage time before Houston held on.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025
The Ducks crushed James Madison early, although the Dukes earned a backdoor cover in garbage time.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for garbage time
Cite this Entry
“Garbage time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbage%20time. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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