mug's game

noun

: a profitless or futile activity

Examples of mug's game in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These are pursuits that can often be, to use a British phrase, a mug's game. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mug's game was in 1900

Dictionary Entries Near mug's game

Cite this Entry

“Mug's game.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mug%27s%20game. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

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