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 figuratively

It'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

Overall, however, the Canucks weren’t really under duress late in the game. —Thomas Drance, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

When William finally appears in person late in the game, the face-off between him and Eddie is worth the wait if only just to see these two exceptional actors go at it. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025

The Musketeers got their crowd going late in the game, including when Jerome Hunter made a 3-pointer to tie it, the first time Texas didn’t have a lead since the first five minutes of the game. —Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025

Kiki Iriafen had a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds and Malia Samuels contributed eight points with a driving layup three point play late in the game. —Allison Smith, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025