early/late in the game
idiom
: at an early/late time in a game or sport
She scored a goal early in the game.
—often used figurativelyIt's too late in the game to change the date of the meeting.
She got into the computer industry early in the game.
Examples of early/late in the game in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Rapids are 2-2-2 and coming off a 3-2 upset win over Los Angeles FC last week as new signing Djordje Mihailovic scored his first two goals for Colorado late in the game.
—
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Purdy suffered an elbow injury early in the game, however, and the 49ers lost, 31-7.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Social media went into overdrive after the controversial incident with NBA great James leading the criticism and much of the furore stemming from the call being made so late in the game.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
The details of the demise of the campus proposal are unclear, but the project ran into some powerful opposition and then-Mayor Kevin Faulconer pulled the plug late in the game.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
Making matters worse, Rozier was limping late in the game.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
As a result, errors discovered late in the game can involve additional costs and prolonged timelines.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Apr. 2024
This late in the game, many people don't want to order eclipse glasses online.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
The Current’s early perfect season, though, seemed to be in some jeopardy late in the game Saturday.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Purdy suffered an elbow injury early in the game, however, and the 49ers lost, 31-7.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Social media went into overdrive after the controversial incident with NBA great James leading the criticism and much of the furore stemming from the call being made so late in the game.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
The details of the demise of the campus proposal are unclear, but the project ran into some powerful opposition and then-Mayor Kevin Faulconer pulled the plug late in the game.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
Making matters worse, Rozier was limping late in the game.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
As a result, errors discovered late in the game can involve additional costs and prolonged timelines.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Apr. 2024
This late in the game, many people don't want to order eclipse glasses online.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
The Current’s early perfect season, though, seemed to be in some jeopardy late in the game Saturday.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'early/late in the game.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near early/late in the game
Cite this Entry
“Early/late in the game.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/early%2Flate%20in%20the%20game. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share