Part of speech: nounactivity / sport
1 [C] an activity or a sport with rules in which people or teams compete against each other:
card games * board games * a game of chance / skill * ball games, such as soccer or tennis * (AmE) We're going to the ball game (= baseball match). * Discipline is the rock on which the game of golf is built.
2 [C] an occasion of playing a game:
to play a game of football / chess * Saturday's League game against Swansea * Let's have a game of table tennis. * They're in training for the big game.
3 [sing.] sb's ~ the way in which sb plays a game:
Hendry raised his game to collect the ｣40000 first prize. * Stretching exercises can help you avoid injury and improve your game.
sports
4 (games) [pl.] (old-fashioned, BrE) sport as a lesson or an activity at school:
I always hated games at school.
5 (games) [pl.] a large organized sports event:
the Olympic Games
part of sports match
6 [C] a section of some games, such as tennis, which forms a unit in scoring:
two games all (= both players have won two games)
children's activity
7 [C] a children's activity when they play with toys, pretend to be sb else, etc:
a game of cops and robbers
fun
8 [C] an activity that you do to have fun:
He was playing games with the dog.
business
9 [C] a type of activity or business:
How long have you been in this game? * the game of politics / life * I'm new to this game myself. * Getting dirty was all part of the game to the kids.
seealsoWAITINGGAME
secret plan
10 [C] (informal) a secret and clever plan; a trick:
So that's his little game (= now I know what he has been planning).
wild animals / birds
11 [U] wild animals or birds that people hunt for sport or food
seealsoBIGGAME, FAIRGAME
IDIOMS
be on the game (BrE, slang) to be a prostitute
the game is up (BrE, informal) said to sb who has done sth wrong, when they are caught and the crime or trick has been discovered:
Maggie knew that he had recognized her and the game was up.
give the game away to tell a secret, especially by accident; to show sth that should be kept hidden
play the game to behave in a fair and honest way:
You can't do that-it's not playing the game!
play sb's game to do sth which helps sb else's plans, especially by accident, when you did not intend to help them
play (silly) games (with sb) not to treat a situation seriously, especially in order to cheat or deceive sb:
Don't play silly games with me; I know you did it.
two can play at that game used to tell sb who has played a trick on you that you can do the same thing to them
what's sb's / your game? (BrE, spoken) used to ask why sb is behaving as they are
moreatBEATv., CAT, FUNn., MUGn., NAMEn., NUMBERn., RULEn., WORTHadj.
adjective ~ (for sth / to do sth) ready and willing to do sth new, difficult or dangerous:
She's game for anything. * We need a volunteer for this exercise. Who's game to try?
