Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

video game

noun

Definition of video game

  1. :  an electronic game played by means of images on a video screen and often emphasizing fast action

See video game defined for English-language learners

See video game defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

words-from-1970s-punk
How "Punk Rock" Got Its Name
alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time
image879490827
Words With London Origins
alt-594ab41a604d2
Trending: Kim and Kanye Might Have Hired a Surrogate Mother

1973

First Known Use of video game

1973

VIDEO GAME Defined for English Language Learners

video game

noun

Definition of video game for English Language Learners

  • : an electronic game in which players control images on a television or computer screen

VIDEO GAME Defined for Kids

video game

noun

Definition of video game for Students

  1. :  a game played with images on a video screen

Learn More about video game

  1. See words that rhyme with video game Spanish Central: Translation of video game Nglish: Translation of video game for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of video game for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about video game

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up video game? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

bilious

play

of or relating to bile

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  2. zealot A fanatical partisan

  3. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  4. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

  5. depose That word might not mean what you think it means.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

video game

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

alt-59480e09b8844
A Pineapple Is An Apple (Kind Of)

Pineapple once had a different, more internationally common name.

alt-594938b88b98e
Read This to Get 'Smart'

A thinking person's guide

image879490827
Words From London

Essential words for Anglophiles

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game