game

1 a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize decided he would indulge in a friendly basketball game with his friends before dinner Synonyms bout, competition, contest, event, match, matchup, meet, sweepstakes (also sweep-stake), tournament, tourney Related Words athletics, sport; battle, conflict, scrimmage, skirmish, struggle, tug-of-war, tussle; championship, national(s); final, nightcap, play-off, semifinal; derby, field day, gymkhana, open, outing; biathlon, decathlon, heptathlon, pentathlon, triathlon; marathon, race, ultramarathon; heat, round, run, set; rally, volley; round-robin, rubber, runoff, sudden death; dead heat, photo finish, seesaw; classic

2 a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective the crook told his accomplice, “Here's the game: look surprised when the police ask about the money” Synonyms arrangement, blueprint, design, plan, game plan, ground plan, master plan, program, project, road map, scheme, strategy, systemRelated Words collusion, conspiracy, plot; contrivance, device, gambit, maneuver, ruse, stratagem, subterfuge, trick; counterplan, counterstrategy; means, tactic, technique, way; procedure, protocol; conception, idea, projet, proposal, specific(s), specification(s); aim, intent, intention, purpose; diagram, formula, layout, map, pattern, platform, policy, recipe, setup

3 an attitude or manner not to be taken seriously there's no need to get upset, all our teasing is only a game Synonyms fun, jest, play, sportRelated Words facetiousness, flightiness, flippancy, frivolity, frivolousness, frothiness, levity, light-mindedness, sillinessNear Antonyms earnestness, gravity, seriousness, soberness, sobriety, solemnityAntonyms earnest

4 the activity by which one regularly makes a living stand-up comedy is his game, and he's one of a handful of people making a decent living at it Synonyms calling, employment, occupation, lay, line, profession, trade, vocation, workRelated Words call, lifework; business, enterprise, field, livelihood, living, métier (also metier), racket [slang]; assignment, engagement, gig, mission; art, craft, handcraft, handicraft; appointment, berth, billet, office, place, position, post, situation; duty, function, job, load, task, workloadNear Antonyms avocation, hobby, pursuit

5 a region of activity, knowledge, or influence the education game simply was no longer of interest to her Synonyms area, arena, bailiwick, barony, business, circle, demesne, department, discipline, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, firmament, front, field, kingdom, line, precinct, province, realm, specialty, sphere, terrain, walkRelated Words frontier; study, subject; territory, turf; occupation, profession, pursuit, racket, vocation; ambit, amplitude, breadth, compass, confine, dimension(s), extent, ken, reach, scope, sweep, width; subfield, subspecialty