name of the game

noun phrase

1

: the essential quality or matter

Patience is the name of the game in coastal duck hunting …

—Dick Beals

2

: the fundamental goal of an activity

Examples of name of the game in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Staying relevant is the only name of the game in an era with so many easily accessible distractions. — Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026

Now, as Halloween approaches, peace might be the new name of the game. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2024

For reality shows with non-lifestyle structures, though, friendship is the current name of the game. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024

Makeup-free—or nearly—was name of the game this week, feeds filled with those too consumed by summer revelry to bother with overwrought routines. — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for name of the game

• acclaim
• aflame
• airframe
• ballgame
• became
• declaim
• defame
• disclaim
• doorframe
• exclaim
• inflame
• mainframe