3 N‑COUNT A game is a part of a match, for example in tennis or bridge, consisting of a fixed number of points. □ She won six games to love in the second set. □ …the last three points of the second game.
4 N‑PLURAL Games are an organized event in which competitions in several sports take place. □ …the Commonwealth Games.
5 N‑PLURAL Games are organized sports activities that children do at school. [BRIT ] □ At his grammar school he is remembered for being bad at games but good in debates.
6 N‑SING [usu poss N ] Someone's game is the degree of skill or the style that they use when playing a particular game. □ Once I was through the first set my game picked up.
7 N‑COUNT You can describe a situation that you do not treat seriously as a game . □ Many people regard life as a game: you win some, you lose some.
8 N‑COUNT You can use game to describe a way of behaving in which a person uses a particular plan, usually in order to gain an advantage for himself or herself. □ Until now, the Americans have been playing a very delicate political game.
9 N‑UNCOUNT Wild animals or birds that are hunted for sport and sometimes cooked and eaten are referred to as game . □ …men who shot game for food.
10 ADJ [v-link ADJ , oft ADJ to-inf] If you are game for something, you are willing to do something new, unusual, or risky. □ After all this time he still had new ideas and was game to try them. □ [+ for ] He said he's game for a similar challenge next year.
11 → see also gamely
12 PHRASE If you say game on , you mean that you are ready for something challenging to begin. □ You think you can beat me? Game on! □ It's game on for toy makers as Christmas approaches.
13 PHRASE If someone or something gives the game away , they reveal a secret or reveal their feelings, and this puts them at a disadvantage. □ The faces of the two conspirators gave the game away.
14 PHRASE If you are new to a particular game , you have not done a particular activity or been in a particular situation before. □ Don't forget that she's new to this game and will take a while to complete the task.
15 PHRASE If you beat someone at their own game , you use the same methods that they have used, but more successfully, so that you gain an advantage over them. □ He must anticipate the maneuvers of the other lawyers and beat them at their own game. □ The police knew that to trap the killer they had to play him at his own game.
16 PHRASE If you say that someone is playing games or playing silly games , you mean that they are not treating a situation seriously and you are annoyed with them. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ 'Don't play games with me' he thundered. □ From what I know of him he doesn't play silly games.
17 PHRASE If you say that someone has raised their game , you mean that they have begun to perform better, usually because they were under pressure to do so. □ He admitted he would have to raise his game against the Spaniard. □ The competition it offers should force the other airlines to raise their game.
18 PHRASE If you say the game is up , you mean that someone's secret plans or activities have been revealed and therefore must stop because they cannot succeed. □ Some thought they would hold out until Sunday. The realists knew that the game was already up.
ga me bird (game birds ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Game birds are birds which are shot for food or for sport.
game|keeper /ge I mkiːpə r / (gamekeepers ) N‑COUNT A gamekeeper is a person who takes care of the wild animals or birds that are kept on someone's land for hunting.
game|ly /ge I mli/ ADV [ADV with v] If you do something gamely , you do it bravely or with a lot of effort. □ He gamely defended his organisation's decision.
ga me park (game parks ) N‑COUNT A game park is a large area of land, especially in Africa, where wild animals can live safely.
ga me plan (game plans ) also game-plan
1 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] In sport, a team's game plan is their plan for winning a match. □ Leeds kept quiet, stuck to their game plan and quietly racked up the points.
2 N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's game plan is the actions they intend to take and the policies they intend to adopt in order to achieve a particular thing. □ If he has a game plan for winning the deal, only he understands it. □ He is unlikely to alter his game plan.
game|play /ge I mple I / N‑UNCOUNT The gameplay of a computer game is the way that it is designed and the skills that you need in order to play it. □ The game has it all–imaginative storyline, challenging gameplay, superb graphics.
gamer /ge I mə r / (gamers ) N‑COUNT A gamer is someone who plays computer games.
ga me re|serve (game reserves ) N‑COUNT A game reserve is a large area of land, especially in Africa, where wild animals can live safely.
ga mes con|sole N‑COUNT A games console is an electronic device used for playing computer games on a television screen. □ This Christmas sees the launch of a new games console.
ga me show (game shows ) N‑COUNT Game shows are television programmes on which people play games in order to win prizes. □ Being a good game-show host means getting to know your contestants.
games|man|ship /ge I mzmənʃ I p/ N‑UNCOUNT Gamesmanship is the art or practice of winning a game by clever methods which are not against the rules but are very close to cheating. □ …a remarkably successful piece of diplomatic gamesmanship.
gam|ete /gæ miːt/ (gametes ) N‑COUNT Gamete is the name for the two types of male and female cell that join together to make a new creature. [TECHNICAL ]