gaming

noun

gam·​ing ˈgā-miŋ How to pronounce gaming (audio)
1
: the practice or activity of playing games for stakes : gambling
After a six-decade absence, casino gaming makes its return next month to this Southern Indiana valley, once famous for luxury resorts that attracted the nation's elite.Michael Rubino
In the same way, casino owners almost never refer to "gambling," which brings to mind damp basements and dice, but always "gaming," which suggests Whist or Scrabble enjoyed in front of a crackling fireplace.Wayne Curtis
often used before another noun
the gaming industry
2
: the practice or activity of playing games (such as board games, card games, or video games)
online/mobile/PC gaming
When most people think of computer gaming, they envision some things that aren't exactly politically correct. Things like blazing lasers, spattering blood and beheaded aliens. However, Internet gaming really does offer something for everyone.Kim Komando
often used before another noun
You can get curved gaming monitors too, for added immersion in certain games.Jon Martindale
After looking through the gaming options, we decided on Quick Draw—a game that gives one participant a word to draw, while the other callers try to guess what the word is.Becca Miller

Examples of gaming in a Sentence

He does a lot of gaming online.
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.
Roblox wants to simplify content creation, expanding beyond traditional game design to capture a larger share of the $180 billion gaming market. Charlie Fink, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025 Steel Nomad's regular and Light subtests focus on APIs more commonly used for game development, like Metal and DirectX 12, to assess gaming geometry and particle effects. PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2025 Trombetta — whose position afforded him access to confidential data, criminal investigative information and trade secrets — resigned from the gaming commission in December 2024 and went to lobby for FanDuel later that month as their director of government relations. Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025 His bill would also establish a South Carolina gaming commission to award casino licenses and oversee the state’s gaming operations. Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gaming

Word History

First Known Use

1501, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gaming was in 1501

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Cite this Entry

“Gaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaming. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

gaming

noun
gam·​ing
ˈgā-miŋ
1
: the practice of gambling
2
: the acting out of a situation (as war) for training or testing
3
: the playing of video games

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