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
Following last week’s blunders against the Rams, in which Mitchell’s mistakes cost the team two touchdowns, he was effectively benched until garbage time in the fourth quarter.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
However, Sanders has not moved up from the No. 3 position on the depth chart and has not seen action in any Browns games this season despite Cleveland being 1-3, not even in garbage time.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
If not for a Ravens 71-yard run in garbage time, the Chiefs would have held the last three teams to under 300 yards, and two of those three were thought to be among the best offenses in the league.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
But that was all the scoring the Rockies could muster until garbage time, when Hunter Goodman’s two-out, RBI single in the ninth made it 6-2.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
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James Boyd, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
However, Sanders has not moved up from the No. 3 position on the depth chart and has not seen action in any Browns games this season despite Cleveland being 1-3, not even in garbage time.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
If not for a Ravens 71-yard run in garbage time, the Chiefs would have held the last three teams to under 300 yards, and two of those three were thought to be among the best offenses in the league.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
But that was all the scoring the Rockies could muster until garbage time, when Hunter Goodman’s two-out, RBI single in the ninth made it 6-2.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 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 8 Oct. 2025.
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