gamer

See also: Gamer

English

Pronunciation

• (non-rhotic)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡeɪ̯mə/, [ˈɡeɪ̯mə]
  • (Australia, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈɡæ̝ɪ̯mə/, [ˈɡæ̝ɪ̯mə] ~ [ˈɡæ̝ɪ̯mɐ̝]
• (rhotic)
  • (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɡeɪ̯mɚ/, [ˈɡeɪ̯mɚ] ~ [ˈɡeɪ̯mɹ̩]

    • Audio (US):

      (file)

      • (monophthongization) IPA^(key): /ˈɡeːmɚ/, [ˈɡeːmɚ] ~ [ˈɡeːmɹ̩]
• Rhymes: -eɪmə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: gam‧er

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *gamaną

Proto-West Germanic *gaman

Old English gamen

Middle English game

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-os?

Proto-Indo-European *-o-

Proto-Indo-European *-so-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂s(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-āsijos

Proto-Italic *-āsios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

Middle English gamer

English gamer

From Middle English gamer, attested since before 1450 as a common noun and possibly since 1248 in the name of one Johannes le Gamer. Equivalent to game (noun) +‎ -er (occupational suffix).

Noun

gamer (plural gamers)

1. A person who plays any kind of game.

   Synonym: gameplayer

   • 1422, Code of Laws of Walsall:

     […] any dice-player, carder, tennis player, or other unlawful gamer.

   • 2002, Gary Alan Fine, Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds, page 93:

     These dice are the gamers' weapons […]

   1. (by ellipsis) A person whose hobby is video games.

      Synonym: videogamer

      Hypernym: gameplayer

      • 2019, The Scottish Parliament, Motion S5M-15504 [1]

        That the Parliament congratulates the online gamer, Harry Brewis, who is known by the handle HBomberGuy, […]

      • 2021 April 25, John Malathronas, “Which languages are easiest – and most difficult – for native English speakers to learn?”, in CNN‎^[2], archived from the original on 22 March 2022:

        A country that's enriched the world with sushi, karaoke and manga, Japan has many devotees, especially among gamers and geeks.

      • 2025 February, Robert Jones, “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33”, in PC Gamer (US), number 392, page 32:

        These real-time elements feel fresh, holding engagement in the fight playing out on-screen, while also offering gamers an extra level of control over proceedings.

2. A person who games the system.

   Hypernyms: cheat, cheater, self-server

   Near-synonym: gamesman

   • 2016, Eric Lovald, Hugely Confused:

     […] the real "takers" in this country are commercial gamers of the system who are only in it to swipe a fast buck from the common trust.

3. (obsolete) A gambler.

   Synonym: punter

   Hyponym: piker

   • 1845 The Head Quarters, Volume III, Number 122 (November 19, 1845)

     The gamer is farther from restoration even than the drunkard, because what he does he does in the light of sobriety and reason.

Derived terms

• back-seat gamer
• backseat gamer
• board gamer
• capital-G gamer
• gamer dent
• GamerGate
• Gamergate
• gamer gunk
• gamer leg
• gamer neck
• gamer pants
• gamerscore
• gamertag
• gamer word
• gamery
• gaymer
• heated gamer moment
• netgamer
• non-gamer
• nongamer
• power gamer
• pro-gamer
• retrogamer
• video gamer
• wargamer

Related terms

• gaming

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: геймър (gejmăr)
• → Danish: gamer
• → Dutch: gamer
• → French: gamer
• → Georgian: გეიმერი (geimeri)
• → German: Gamer
• → Gulf Arabic: قيمر (gēmar), گيمر (gēmar)
• → Japanese: ゲーマー (gēmā)
• → Korean: 게이머 (geimeo)
• → Macedonian: ге́јмер (géjmer)
• → Persian: گیمر (geymer)
• → Portuguese: gamer, guêimer
• → Russian: ге́ймер (géjmer)
• → Spanish: gamer
• → Swedish: gamer
• → Ukrainian: ге́ймер (héjmer), ґе́ймер (géjmer)

Translations

player of any game — see player

person who plays video games

• Arabic:

  Gulf Arabic: قيمر m or f (gēmar), گيمر m or f (gēmar)

• Bulgarian: геймър m (gejmăr)
• Catalan: videojugador m, videojugadora f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 玩家 (zh) (wánjiā)

• Danish: gamer c
• Dutch: gamer (nl) m, speler (nl) m, speelster (nl) f
• Estonian: mängija
• Finnish: pelaaja (fi), videopelaaja
• French: joueur (fr) m (de jeu vidéo (fr))
• Galician: xogador de videoxogos, videoxogador m, videoxogadora f
• Georgian: მოთამაშე (motamaše), გეიმერი (geimeri) (colloquial), ვიდეომოთამაშე (videomotamaše)
• German: Spieler (de) m, Spielerin (de) f, Gamer (de) m
• Hungarian: gémer, gamer (hu), videójátékos
• Italian: videogiocatore m, videogiocatrice f
• Japanese: ゲーマー (gēmā)
• Korean: 게이머 (geimeo)
• Macedonian: ге́јмер m (géjmer) (slang), ге́јмерка f (géjmerka) (slang)
• Persian: گیمر (geymer)
• Polish: gracz (pl) m, graczka (pl) f, gamer (pl) m, gamerka f
• Portuguese: gamer m or f by sense (informal), videojogador m (Portugal), videojogadora f (Portugal), jogador m, jogadora f
• Russian: игро́к (ru) m (igrók), ге́ймер (ru) m (géjmer), игрома́н (ru) (igromán)
• Spanish: videojugador m, videojugadora f, jugón (es) m, jugona f
• Swedish: datorspelare (sv) c, gamer (sv) c
• Ukrainian: граве́ць (uk) m (hravécʹ), ге́ймер (uk) m (héjmer), ґе́ймер m (géjmer), ігрома́н (ihromán)

person who games the system

• Finnish: peluri (fi)
• Polish: gracz (pl) m, graczka (pl) f

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *gamaną

Proto-West Germanic *gaman

Old English gamen

Middle English game

English game

Proto-Indo-European *-yōs

Proto-Germanic *-izô

Proto-West Germanic *-iʀō

Proto-Germanic *-ōzô

Proto-West Germanic *-ōʀō

Old English -ra

Middle English -ere

English -er

English gamer

From game (adjective) + -er (comparative suffix).

Adjective

gamer

1. comparative form of game: more game

References

• Gamer on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “gamer”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “gamer”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Anagrams

• Mager, Marge, e-gram, grame, magre, marge, regma

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English gamer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɡ̊ɛjmʌ]

Noun

gamer c (singular definite gameren, plural indefinite gamere)

1. gamer

Inflection

Declension of gamer

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	gamer	gameren	gamere	gamerne
genitive	gamers	gamerens	gameres	gamernes

References

• “gamer” in Den Danske Ordbog

Anagrams

• magre

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English gamer. Equivalent to gamen +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡeː.mər/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ga‧mer

Noun

gamer m (plural gamers, no diminutive)

1. a gamer, someone who plays video games

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English gamer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛ.mœʁ/ ~ /ɡe.mœʁ/
• (Canada, Missouri, New England, Louisiana) IPA^(key): /ɡeɪmɚ/

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

• Homophone: gamers

Noun

gamer m (plural gamers)

1. a person whose hobby is video games
2. a high-end laptop designed to play video games

Indonesian

Noun

gamer (plural gamer-gamer)

1. (Kalimantan) Calophyllum soulattri, a species of bintangor

   Synonyms: bintangur, kapur naga, sulatri

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡamər/
• Rhymes: -amər, -ər

Adjective

gamer (Jawi spelling ݢامر, comparative lebih gamer, superlative paling gamer)

1. hesitant

See also

• janggal (“awkward”)
• malu (“shame”)
• teragak-agak (“hesitate”)

Further reading

• "gamer" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "gamer" at PRPM first version)

Middle English

Etymology

From game +‎ -ere (suffix forming agent nouns).

Noun

gamer (plural gamers)

1. gamer; gamester (person who plays games)

Descendants

• English: gamer

References

• “gāmer, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• guêimer (Brazil, rare)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *gamaną

Proto-West Germanic *gaman

Old English gamen

Middle English game

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-os?

Proto-Indo-European *-o-

Proto-Indo-European *-so-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂s(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-āsijos

Proto-Italic *-āsios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

Middle English gamer

English gamerubor.

Portuguese gamer

Unadapted borrowing from English gamer.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɡej.meʁ/ [ˈɡeɪ̯.meh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɡej.meʁ/ [ˈɡeɪ̯.meh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈɡej.meɾ/ [ˈɡeɪ̯.meɾ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈɡej.meʁ/ [ˈɡeɪ̯.meχ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ˈɡej.meɻ/ [ˈɡeɪ̯.meɻ]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɐj.mɐɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɐj.mɐɾ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɡej.mɐɾ/
  • (Central Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɡej.mɐɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɡe.mɐɾ/

Noun

gamer m or f by sense (plural gamers)

1. (informal) gamer (a person who plays video games)

   Synonyms: (Portugal) videojogador, jogador de video game

Adjective

gamer (invariable)

1. (relational) gaming

Derived terms

• cadeira gamer
• mouse gamer
• notebook gamer
• PC gamer

Further reading

• “gamer”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *gamaną

Proto-West Germanic *gaman

Old English gamen

Middle English game

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-os?

Proto-Indo-European *-o-

Proto-Indo-European *-so-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂s(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-āsijos

Proto-Italic *-āsios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

Middle English gamer

English gamerbor.

Spanish gamer

Borrowed from English gamer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡeimeɾ/ [ˈɡei̯.meɾ]
• Rhymes: -eimeɾ
• Syllabification: ga‧mer

Noun

gamer m or f by sense (plural gamers)

1. gamer