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 Washington Wizards crossed the 100-point mark with 16 seconds left of garbage time before a strong Knicks road contingent serenaded their team with cheers in enemy territory.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Phillips and Dalen Terry were the only players to make multiple 3s, all of which occurred in garbage time during the fourth quarter.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2026
Most of his limited playing time for Boston has come in garbage time, but the Rutgers product made a surprise early-game appearance in last Friday’s double-overtime win over Brooklyn, subbing in midway through the first quarter.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
After playing only garbage time a year ago as Nix started 17 games, Denver gave Stidham $7 million guaranteed over two years to return as Nix’s backup.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for garbage time
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Phillips and Dalen Terry were the only players to make multiple 3s, all of which occurred in garbage time during the fourth quarter.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2026
Most of his limited playing time for Boston has come in garbage time, but the Rutgers product made a surprise early-game appearance in last Friday’s double-overtime win over Brooklyn, subbing in midway through the first quarter.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
After playing only garbage time a year ago as Nix started 17 games, Denver gave Stidham $7 million guaranteed over two years to return as Nix’s backup.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026
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 13 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
