n.
contest, match
1) to play; win a ~
2) to lose a ~
3) ( AE ) to call ('cancel') a (baseball) ~
4) to throw ('purposely lose') a ~
5) a close; crucial; fair ~
6) a bowl ( Am. football); championship; home; match (tennis); practice; wild-card ( Am. professional football) ~
form of recreation
7) to play a ~
8) a ball; board; children's; numbers; parlor; video; word ~
9) a ~ of chance ; a ~ of skill
deception
10) to see through smb.'s ~
11) ( AE ) a con, confidence ~
tactic, strategy
12) a waiting ~
13) a cat-and-mouse ~
hunted animals
14) to hunt; stalk ~
15) big; small ~
16) ( fig .) fair ~ ('a legitimate object of attack') (to be fair ~ for smb.)
17) ( misc. ) a ~ preserve, refuge
prostitution
( colloq. ) ( BE )
18) on the ~
misc.
19) the mating ~ ( see the Usage Note for match )