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REFERENCE

game

n. · v. · adj.
US //ˈɡeɪm// UK //ɡˈeɪm// game
  1. 1 sport or play (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    an activity or sport with rules that people play for fun or to win.

    a structured activity, often competitive, played for entertainment or as a professional sport according to specific rules.

    Example

    We played a long game of chess while waiting for the rain to stop.

    Example

    The championship game was delayed by several hours due to a technical failure in the stadium's floodlighting system.
  2. 2 business or profession (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    a particular type of business, job, or way of life.

    a field of gainful activity, industry, or profession; often used with 'the' to describe a career path.

    Example

    He has been in the real estate game for over twenty years.

    Example

    If you want to succeed in the advertising game, you need to be prepared for long hours and constant rejection.
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  1. 3 skill in seduction (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Informal

    the ability to be attractive or smooth when trying to start a romantic relationship.

    the ability to attract or seduce a romantic partner through social strategy and charisma.

    Example

    He thinks he has game, but his jokes are actually quite boring.

    Example

    The conversation focused on whether modern dating apps have fundamentally changed the way people use their social game to find partners.
  2. 4 to play video games (v.)
    B1 Intermediate Computing

    to play electronic games on a computer or console.

    to engage in playing video games or other interactive electronic media.

    Example

    He spent the whole weekend gaming with his friends online.

    Example

    Professional players often spend upwards of ten hours a day gaming to maintain their competitive edge in international tournaments.
  3. 5 to exploit a system (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    to use the rules of a system in a clever or dishonest way to get what you want.

    to manipulate or exploit the rules of a system or bureaucracy to gain an unfair advantage.

    Example

    Some people try to game the system to pay less tax.

    Example

    The company was accused of trying to game the algorithm to ensure their products always appeared at the top of the search results.
  4. 6 willing (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    ready and willing to try something new or difficult.

    willing and eager to participate in an activity, especially one that is adventurous or challenging.

    Example

    If you want to go hiking at 5:00 AM, I am game.

    Example

    Despite the freezing temperatures, several members of the group were game for a quick swim in the lake.
  5. 7 injured leg (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Informal Dialect

    used to describe a leg or arm that is hurt or does not work well.

    referring to a limb, especially a leg, that is injured, lame, or disabled.

    Example

    The old dog struggled to walk on his game leg.

    Example

    He walked with a noticeable limp, the result of a game leg he had suffered during his years working on the docks.
Origin

From Middle English game, gamen, gammen, from Old English gamen (“sport, joy, mirth, pastime, game, amusement, pleasure”), from Proto-West Germanic gaman, from Proto-Germanic gamaną (“amusement, pleasure, game", literally "participation, communion, people together”), from ga- (collective prefix) + mann- (“man”); or alternatively from ga- + a root from Proto-Indo-European men- (“to think, have in mind”). Cognate with Yola gaame, gaaume, gaume (“game”), Old Frisian game, gome (“joy, amusement, entertainment”), Dutch gemelijk (“cantankerous, crabbed”), Middle High German gamen (“joy, amusement, fun, pleasure”), Danish gammen (“merriment”), Icelandic, Norwegian Nynorsk gaman (“joy, fun”), Swedish gamman (“mirth, rejoicing, merriment”). Related to gammon, gamble.

Word family
Idioms24 entries

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