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Game

//ɡeɪm// adj, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective

1
Willing and able to participate. colloquial
""[…] But what’s this long face about, Mr. Starbuck; wilt thou not chase the white whale? art not game for Moby Dick?”"
2
Injured, lame.
"You come with me and we'll have a cozy dinner and a pleasant talk together, and by that time your game ankle will carry you home very nicely, I am sure.""
3
That shows a tendency to continue to fight against another animal, despite being wounded, often severely.
4
Persistent, especially in senses similar to the above.

Adjective

1
willing to face danger wordnet
2
disabled in the feet or legs wordnet

Noun

1
A playful or competitive activity.; A playful activity that may be unstructured; an amusement or pastime. countable, uncountable
"Being a child is all fun and games."
2
an amusement or pastime wordnet
3
A playful or competitive activity.; An activity described by a set of rules, especially for the purpose of entertainment, often competitive or having an explicit goal. countable
"Games in the classroom can make learning fun."
4
a contest with rules to determine a winner wordnet
5
A playful or competitive activity.; A school subject during which sports are practised. UK, countable, in-plural, uncountable
"From time to time tracksuited boys ran past them, with all the deadly purpose and humourless concentration of those who enjoyed Games."

Show 27 more definitions

6
a single play of a sport or other contest wordnet
7
A playful or competitive activity.; A particular instance of playing a game. countable
"Sally won the game."
8
frivolous or trifling behavior wordnet
9
A playful or competitive activity.; That which is gained, such as the stake in a game. countable, uncountable
10
your occupation or line of work wordnet
11
A playful or competitive activity.; The number of points necessary to win a game. countable, uncountable
"In short whist, five points are game."
12
animal hunted for food or sport wordnet
13
A playful or competitive activity.; In some games, a point awarded to the player whose cards add up to the largest sum. countable, uncountable
14
the game equipment needed in order to play a particular game wordnet
15
A playful or competitive activity.; The equipment that enables such activity, particularly as packaged under a title. countable
"Some of the games in the closet we have on the computer as well."
16
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal) wordnet
17
A playful or competitive activity.; One's manner, style, or performance in playing a game. countable, uncountable
"Study can help your game of chess."
18
the flesh of wild animals that is used for food wordnet
19
A playful or competitive activity.; Ellipsis of video game. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis
"There’s a sense here, as well as in games such as Limbo, that we’re making ourselves experience our children’s reality, trapped in the chaos that the adults have created."
20
(games) the score at a particular point or the score needed to win wordnet
21
A field of gainful activity, as an industry or profession. countable, informal, singular, usually
"When it comes to making sales, John is the best in the game."
22
(tennis) a division of play during which one player serves wordnet
23
A field of gainful activity, as an industry or profession.; The music industry. countable, informal, singular, uncountable, usually
"The rapper bragged about how he ran the game."
24
Something that resembles a game with rules, despite not being designed. countable, figuratively
"In the game of life, you may find yourself playing the waiting game far too often."
25
An exercise simulating warfare, whether computerized or involving human participants. countable
26
A questionable or unethical practice in pursuit of a goal. countable
"You want to borrow my credit card for a week? What's your game?"
27
Wild animals hunted for food. uncountable
"The forest has plenty of game."
28
The ability to seduce or woo someone, usually by strategy. informal, uncountable
"He didn't get anywhere with her because he had no game."
29
Lovemaking, flirtation. archaic, countable, uncountable
30
Prostitution. (Now chiefly in on the game.) countable, slang, uncountable
"ſet them downe, / For ſlottiſh ſpoyles of opportunitie; / And daughters of the game."
31
Mastery; the ability to excel at something. slang, uncountable
"What is game? Who got game? / Where's the game in life, behind the game behind the game / I got game, she's got game / We got game, they got game, he got game"
32
Diversion, entertainment. archaic, uncountable
"To ſet the minde on the racke of long meditation (you ſay) is a torment: to follow the ſwift foote of your hound alday long, hath no wearineſſe: what would you ſay of him that finds better game in his ſtudie, then you in the fielde, and would account your diſport his puniſhment? ſuch there are, though you doubt and wonder."

Verb

1
To gamble. intransitive
"an impressive protest against gaming, swearing, and all immoral practices which might forfeit divine aid in the great struggle for National Independence"
2
place a bet on wordnet
3
To play card games, board games, or video games. intransitive
"“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. […]”"
4
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. transitive
"We'll bury them in paperwork, and game the system."
5
To perform premeditated seduction strategy. slang, transitive
"Returning briefly to his journalistic persona to interview Britney Spears, he finds himself gaming her, and she gives him her phone number."

Etymology

Etymology 1

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.

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

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