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
And the Falcons’ sole touchdown came during garbage time late in the fourth quarter.
—Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Strome added a second goal late in the third, and Tom Wilson added a garbage time, power-play goal as the Capitals pulled away.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 18 Oct. 2025
Thinking the Jets score a couple times early and once in garbage time.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Ja’Marr Chase ended up with a big fantasy game last week, but both of his touchdowns came during fourth-quarter garbage time of another blowout.
—Dalton Del Don, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for garbage time
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Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Strome added a second goal late in the third, and Tom Wilson added a garbage time, power-play goal as the Capitals pulled away.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 18 Oct. 2025
Thinking the Jets score a couple times early and once in garbage time.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Ja’Marr Chase ended up with a big fantasy game last week, but both of his touchdowns came during fourth-quarter garbage time of another blowout.
—Dalton Del Don, New York Times, 9 Oct. 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 29 Oct. 2025.
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