game 1 of 2

noun

ˈgām How to pronounce game (audio)
Definition of gamenext
1
as in tournament
a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize decided he would indulge in a friendly basketball game with his friends before dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in strategy
a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective the crook told his accomplice, "Here's the game: look surprised when the police ask about the money"

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in play
an attitude or manner not to be taken seriously there's no need to get upset, all our teasing is only a game

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in profession
the activity by which one regularly makes a living stand-up comedy is his game, and he's one of a handful of people making a decent living at it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in area
a region of activity, knowledge, or influence the education game simply was no longer of interest to her

Synonyms & Similar Words

game

2 of 2

adjective

as in ready
having a desire or inclination (as for a specified course of action) are you game for going out tonight?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun game differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of game are fun, jest, play, and sport. While all these words mean "action or speech that provides amusement or arouses laughter," game is close to sport, and often stresses mischievous or malicious fun.

made game of their poor relations

When could fun be used to replace game?

While in some cases nearly identical to game, fun usually implies laughter or gaiety but may imply merely a lack of serious or ulterior purpose.

played cards just for fun

When can jest be used instead of game?

While the synonyms jest and game are close in meaning, jest implies lack of earnestness and may suggest a hoaxing or teasing.

hurt by remarks said only in jest

When is play a more appropriate choice than game?

The synonyms play and game are sometimes interchangeable, but play stresses the opposition to earnest without implying any malice or mischief.

pretended to strangle his brother in play

When might sport be a better fit than game?

The meanings of sport and game largely overlap; however, sport applies especially to the arousing of laughter against someone.

teasing begun in sport led to anger

How does the noun game differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of game are fun, jest, play, and sport. While all these words mean "action or speech that provides amusement or arouses laughter," game is close to sport, and often stresses mischievous or malicious fun.

made game of their poor relations

When could fun be used to replace game?

While in some cases nearly identical to game, fun usually implies laughter or gaiety but may imply merely a lack of serious or ulterior purpose.

played cards just for fun

When can jest be used instead of game?

While the synonyms jest and game are close in meaning, jest implies lack of earnestness and may suggest a hoaxing or teasing.

hurt by remarks said only in jest

When is play a more appropriate choice than game?

The synonyms play and game are sometimes interchangeable, but play stresses the opposition to earnest without implying any malice or mischief.

pretended to strangle his brother in play

When might sport be a better fit than game?

The meanings of sport and game largely overlap; however, sport applies especially to the arousing of laughter against someone.

teasing begun in sport led to anger

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of game
Noun
Raynaud has started 48 games with Domantas Sabonis missing most of the season due to injuries. —Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 29 Mar. 2026 Song is swinging in the cage and could get in a game before spring ends and join the team not long after the season starts. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
This marked the third straight NCAA Tournament where the Orange’s season ended at the hands of the Huskies, and Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack let out her frustration with that fact during her post-game press conference. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026 Smith had just two points on 1 of 5 shooting in Thursday's First Four win over Arizona State, and Agugua-Hamilton talked to her in the pre-game meal about putting that game behind her. —ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for game
Recent Examples of Synonyms for game
  1. tournament
  2. strategy
  3. play
  4. profession
  5. area
  6. ready
  7. competition
  8. plan
Noun
  • Outside the arena, the NCAA March Madness Fan Fest drew crowds with music, food and activities, adding to the tournament atmosphere.
    — Kenny Choi, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • His points were the most by a Texas player in an NCAA Tournament game since Kevin Durant scored 30 against USC in the second round of the 2007 tournament.
    — Janie McCauley, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of tournament
Noun
  • Tax season, savings strategies, and investment planning are all pulling at your attention, and your analytical mind is more than capable of working through the complexity.
    — Kirah Tabourn, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2026
  • But the strategy has perils and pitfalls.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Definition of strategy
Noun
  • Shamet was fouled on the play and missed the and-one free throw, but second-year backup big man Ariel Hukporti grabbed the offensive rebound to create a second shot opportunity.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The play, like the movie, is loosely based on a robbery that took place in 1972, on a boiling-hot August day, when an eccentric, deep-in-debt Vietnam veteran named John Wojtowicz entered a Chase bank in Brooklyn with a gun and two accomplices, hoping for a quick score.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of play
Noun
  • Every profession and hobby has its own private jargon, and Disney fans are no exception.
    — Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
  • According to McKinsey’s Golyk, there is a looming advisor shortage as fewer people enter the profession, and those who remain focus increasingly on the wealthiest investors alone.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of profession
Noun
  • The Atlanta-area native also went just 8-for-14 from the foul line in his latest homecoming after making 91% of his foul shots over his previous nine games.
    — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
  • In the 2025-26 Texas high school girls basketball season, several Fort Worth-area athletes had standout seasons.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of area
Adjective
  • During the first one to two days on the mission, the crew will be in a high Earth orbit and conduct systems checks, such as testing the Orion capsule's life-support, propulsion, navigation, and communications systems to ensure the spacecraft is ready to travel into deep space.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Both Miller and Martinez shared a similar sentiment, explaining that business owners need to be ready to network and create a social media strategy.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of ready
Noun
  • One of the two women's boxing gold medalists at the center of the gender controversy in Paris, Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, has passed her gene test and can return to competition, the World Boxing governing body said last week.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The Sora rollback is part of a broader shift within OpenAI, once the undisputed frontrunner in the AI race that now faces serious competition from rivals such as Anthropic and Google.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of competition
Noun
  • By the second day, a cable from headquarters informed Chalker that the plan had changed.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Grant Willliams sat out the tail end of the Hornets’ back-to-back, which was the team’s third game in four nights, keeping in tune with the plan for him following his return from tears in his right ACL and meniscus.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of plan

Phrases Containing game

Browse Nearby Words

gambols
game
gamely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Game.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/game. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on game

Nglish: Translation of game for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fawn

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

5 Verbal Slip Ups and Language Mistakes

Are You Misusing These 10 Common Words?

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

12 Words for Signs of Spring

The Opposite of Déjà Vu

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

17 Words for Dog Breeds
See More

Popular

See More

5 Verbal Slip Ups and Language Mistakes

12 Words for Signs of Spring

The Opposite of Déjà Vu
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little boy with a magnifying glass looking at footprints
Quiz: Spot the Misspelled Word! Think you can detect a spelling error from a mile...
See All