game

/ɡeɪm/

noun 5adj 4verb 4

Collocations

33

1

(noun.) activity/sport

ADJ

ball, board, computer, video

good

Playing chess is a good game for developing your thinking skills.

competitive

My kids enjoy playing competitive games at birthday parties where they try to win prizes.

team

My daughter enjoys team games because she likes playing with her friends at recess.

party

children's

My younger sister enjoys playing children's games at school during lunch breaks.

indoor, outdoor

My family enjoys playing board games on rainy days when we can't go outside.

VERB + GAME

have, play

The kids played a game of hide-and-seek in the garden for hours yesterday.

draw, lose, win

Our team lost the basketball game by just two points in the final seconds.

PREP

~ against/with, ~ of

My friends and I decided to play a game against the computer.

2

(noun.) sports match

ADJ

big | first, opening | final, last | away, home

Cup, League

The team played their biggest Cup game last night and won 3-1.

VERB + GAME

have, play

My friends and I have a game of chess every Sunday afternoon at the café.

draw, lose, win

PREP

~ against/with

Our team plays against the defending champions next Saturday afternoon.

~ of

My friends and I played a game of chess in the park last Sunday afternoon.

3

(noun.) how sb plays

ADJ

good, great

My brother played a good game of tennis yesterday afternoon.

VERB + GAME

have, play

She played an excellent game and impressed the coach with her skills.

improve, raise

After months of practice, she improved her game enough to finally beat her older brother at tennis.

4

(noun.) games: sports competition

ADJ

Commonwealth, Olympic

VERB + GAME

compete in, participate in, take part in

My son is competing in a chess game at school this afternoon.

host

The city won the opportunity to host the World Cup game next summer.

5

(noun.) business/activity

VERB + GAME

be in

My father has been in the restaurant game for over thirty years.

GAME + NOUN

~ of

She learned the rules of the game of chess from her grandfather over many years.

PHRASES

all part of the game

The long hours of practice and occasional failures are all part of the game when you're learning a sport.

new to this game

My brother is new to this game, so I'm teaching him the basic rules.

6

(noun.) secret plan

ADJ

little, silly, stupid

VERB + GAME

play

She didn't want to play mind games with her ex-boyfriend anymore.

put an end to, put a stop to

The new manager decided to put an end to the games and set clear rules for everyone.

give away

If you tell Sarah about the surprise party, you'll give the game away.

Definitions

noun

1

A playful or competitive activity.

Being a child is all fun and games.

2

A playful or competitive activity.

Games in the classroom can make learning fun.

Joshua: Shall we play a game? David: ... Love to. How about Global Thermonuclear War? Joshua: Wouldn't you prefer a good game of chess? David: Later. Let's play Global Thermonuclear War. Joshua: Fine.

3

A playful or competitive activity.

From time to time tracksuited boys ran past them, with all the deadly purpose and humourless concentration of those who enjoyed Games.

4

A playful or competitive activity.

Sally won the game.

They can turn the game around in the second half.

5

A playful or competitive activity.

adj

1

Willing and able to participate.

"[…] But what’s this long face about, Mr. Starbuck; wilt thou not chase the white whale? art not game for Moby Dick?”

One Friday when I jumped into my barber’s chair to get a trim, she suggested I try a jheri curl. I was game, despite the fact that most of the women I knew hated jheri curls on men and called men who wore them “bamas,” a term short for Alabamas, which meant real country.

2

That shows a tendency to continue to fight against another animal, despite being wounded, often severely.

3

Persistent, especially in senses similar to the above.

verb

1

To gamble.

an impressive protest against gaming, swearing, and all immoral practices which might forfeit divine aid in the great struggle for National Independence

2

To play card games, board games, or video games.

“The first few days after getting here are weird. It’s a version of cold turkey because you’ve been gaming around the clock and suddenly, nothing. […]”

3

To exploit loopholes in a system or bureaucracy in a way which defeats or nullifies the spirit of the rules in effect, usually to obtain a result which otherwise would be unobtainable.

We'll bury them in paperwork, and game the system.

A large batch of online trolls have gamed a web contest that promises a Taylor Swift performance at any school in the US. The target? Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

4

To perform premeditated seduction strategy.

Returning briefly to his journalistic persona to interview Britney Spears, he finds himself gaming her, and she gives him her phone number.

A business associate of mine at the time, George Wu, sat across the way, gaming a stripper the way I taught him.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — your occupation or line of work

biz

noun — a secret scheme to do something (especially something underh

plot

verb — place a bet on

adjective — willing to face danger

gamy
gamey
gritty
mettlesome
spirited
spunky

adjective — disabled in the feet or legs

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

on the game

Working as a prostitute.

Oh please go on the game. It's a steady job and you'd be working from home.

ahead of the game

Having completed a task before it is due; ready, prepared, or anticipating.

If you start work on the new assignment now, you'll be ahead of the game for when the teacher sets it officially.

two can play that game

The tactics or strategies of an adversary can also be used against them.

fair game

Actions permissible by the rules.

Pretending to be slow is fair game. Pretending to be injured is not.

game plan

Any strategy devised to reach a given objective.

So what is the game plan? We need to get everyone out of this alive, and I am clueless.

Example Bank

6

01

Being a child is all fun and games.

Wiktionary

02

Games in the classroom can make learning fun.

Wiktionary

03

Joshua: Shall we play a game? David: ... Love to. How about Global Thermonuclear War? Joshua: Wouldn't you prefer a good game of chess? David: Later. Let's play Global Thermonuclear War. Joshua: Fine.

Wiktionary

04

"[…] But what’s this long face about, Mr. Starbuck; wilt thou not chase the white whale? art not game for Moby Dick?”

Wiktionary

05

One Friday when I jumped into my barber’s chair to get a trim, she suggested I try a jheri curl. I was game, despite the fact that most of the women I knew hated jheri curls on men and called men who

Wiktionary

06

Some of Grimsby’s other (extraordinarily up-to-date) targets include Donald Trump and Daniel Radcliffe, whose fates here are too breath-catchingly cruel to spoil, and also the admirably game Strong, w

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, game is marked as slang, UK, colloquial. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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