garbage time
noun
US, sports
: the final moments or minutes of a game in which one side has an insurmountable lead, substitutes often enter the game in place of starting players, and scoring is typically easier because of looser defensive play
… the forgotten foursome of Greg Kite, Fred Roberts, Sam Vicent and Conner Henry will be on call in case of extreme emergency and those meaningless minutes appropriately referred to as garbage time.—
Gerry Finn
Gerry FinnOne touchdown was all the Broncos' D allowed, and that came in garbage time.—Paul Zimmerman
Paul ZimmermanExamples of garbage time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By the 7:42 mark of the third quarter, the Packers were leading 27-3 in cold temperatures in Wisconsin before the Dolphins scored 14 points in garbage time.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 29 Nov. 2024
The only defensive snaps McKinney has missed this season came late against the 49ers in garbage time, and Jacobs has played in every game, too.
—Matt Schneidman, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
That will go down as the only shot Johnson made in his two-year career in Storrs, which was played largely in garbage time minutes and saw the South Kent alum only attempt three shots, all from beyond the arc.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2024
Huff’s two-way contract with the Nuggets was over after 20 games at the NBA level — all garbage time — and 20 points per game for Denver’s G League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Mich.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for garbage time 
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.
Ben Morse, CNN, 29 Nov. 2024
The only defensive snaps McKinney has missed this season came late against the 49ers in garbage time, and Jacobs has played in every game, too.
—Matt Schneidman, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
That will go down as the only shot Johnson made in his two-year career in Storrs, which was played largely in garbage time minutes and saw the South Kent alum only attempt three shots, all from beyond the arc.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2024
Huff’s two-way contract with the Nuggets was over after 20 games at the NBA level — all garbage time — and 20 points per game for Denver’s G League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Mich.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for garbage time
Articles Related to garbage time
Dictionary Entries Near garbage time
Cite this Entry
“Garbage time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbage%20time. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share