game

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Contents

English [edit]

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Etymology [edit]

From Middle English game, gamen, gammen, from Old English gamen (“sport, joy, mirth, pastime, game, amusement, pleasure”), from Proto-Germanic *gamaną (“amusement, pleasure, game", literally "participation, communion, people together”), from *ga- (collective prefix) + *mann- (“man”), equivalent to ge- +‎ man; or alternatively from *ga- + a root from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think, have in mind”), equivalent to ge- +‎ mind. Cognate with Middle High German gamen (“joy, amusement, fun, pleasure”), Swedish gamman (“mirth, rejoicing, merriment”), Icelandic gaman (“fun”). Related to gammon, gamble.

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

game (countable and uncountable; plural games)

  1. (countable) A pursuit or activity with rules performed either alone or with others, often for the purpose of entertainment, education, monetary gain or other such reasons. In many games, the objective is to win by defeating the other player or players or being the first to reach a specified goal, while in others, role-playing or cooperation is emphasized.
    Shall we play a game?
  2. (countable, sports) A contest between two individuals or teams. A game may refer to the entire encounter between the two (e.g. a basketball game), or to just one contest of several required to win (e.g. a tennis game).
  3. (countable, military) An exercise simulating warfare for the purpose of training personnel, testing combat readiness, or to better understand various possible outcomes of various strategies or tactics. The exercise may involve human participants, or it may be simulated, often with the aid of computers.
  4. (uncountable) Wild animals hunted for food.
    The forest has plenty of game.
  5. (countable, nearly always singular) A field of gainful activity, as an industry or profession.
    When it comes to making sales, John is the best in the game.
    He's in the securities game somehow.
  6. (uncountable, informal, used mostly of males) The ability to successfully seduce someone into a romantic or sexual relationship, usually achieved by pre-meditated strategy.
    He didn't get anywhere with her because he had no game.
  7. (countable) One or more questionable, unethical, or illegal practices.
    You want to borrow my credit card for a week? What's your game?

Synonyms [edit]

Antonyms [edit]

Hyponyms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Terms derived from game (noun)

Translations [edit]

pursuit or activity for entertainment
contest between two individuals or teams
exercise simulating warfare
wild animals hunted for food
entire being of an industry, activity or profession
ability to successfully seduce someone
business or occupation
questionable, unethical, or illegal practices

Adjective [edit]

game (comparative gamer, superlative gamest)

  1. (colloquial) Willing to participate.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Adventure (computer game):
      I'm game, would you like to tell me how [to do that]?
  2. (of an animal) 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.
  4. Injured, lame (of a limb).
    • around 1900, O. Henry, Lost on Dress Parade
      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."

Synonyms [edit]

Antonyms [edit]

Translations [edit]

willing to participate

Verb [edit]

game (third-person singular simple present games, present participle gaming, simple past and past participle gamed)

  1. (intransitive) To gamble.
  2. (intransitive) To play games and be a gamer.
  3. (transitive) 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.
  4. (transitive, slang, of males) To perform premeditated seduction strategy.

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

to gamble — see gamble
to defeat the rules in order to obtain a result

See also [edit]

Anagrams [edit]

Dutch [edit]

Verb [edit]

game

  1. first-person singular present indicative of gamen
  2. singular present subjunctive of gamen
  3. imperative of gamen
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