early/late in the game
idiom
: at an early/late time in a game or sport
She scored a goal early in the game.
—often used figurativelyIt's too late in the game to change the date of the meeting.
She got into the computer industry early in the game.
Examples of early/late in the game in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Milwaukee held a 20-point lead early in the game before the Pacers battled back to force overtime.
—
Eric Nehm, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
The series reached a boiling point early in the game.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2025
Theodore fired a shot from the point early in the game that was blocked by Boldy, who then raced down the ice for a breakaway goal to open the scoring.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Joel’s end similarly arrives early in the game, just under two hours into what ends up being about 25 hours of play.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for early/late in the game
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Eric Nehm, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
The series reached a boiling point early in the game.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2025
Theodore fired a shot from the point early in the game that was blocked by Boldy, who then raced down the ice for a breakaway goal to open the scoring.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Joel’s end similarly arrives early in the game, just under two hours into what ends up being about 25 hours of play.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for early/late in the game
Cite this Entry
“Early/late in the game.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/early%2Flate%20in%20the%20game. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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