(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is an activity or sport usually involving skill, knowledge, or chance, in which you follow fixed rules and try to win against an opponent or to solve a puzzle.
...the wonderful ~ of football.
...a playful ~ of hide-and-seek.
...a video ~.
N-COUNT
2.
A ~ is one particular occasion on which a ~ is played.
It was the first ~ of the season...
He regularly watched our ~s from the stands...
We won three ~s against Australia.
= match
N-COUNT
3.
A ~ is a part of a match, for example in tennis or bridge, consisting of a fixed number of points.
She won six ~s to love in the second set.
...the last three points of the second ~.
N-COUNT
4.
Games are an organized event in which competitions in several sports take place.
...the 2000 Olympic Games at Sydney.
N-PLURAL
5.
Games are organized sports activities that children do at school. (BRIT)
At his grammar school he is remembered for being bad at ~s but good in debates.
= sport
N-PLURAL
6.
Someone’s ~ is the degree of skill or the style that they use when playing a particular ~.
Once I was through the first set my ~ picked up.
N-SING: usu poss N
7.
You can describe a situation that you do not treat seriously as a ~.
Many people regard life as a ~: you win some, you lose some...
N-COUNT
8.
You can use ~ 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 ~.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
9.
Wild animals or birds that are hunted for sport and sometimes cooked and eaten are referred to as ~.
...men who shot ~ for food.
N-UNCOUNT
10.
If you are ~ for something, you are willing to do something new, unusual, or risky.
After all this time he still had new ideas and was ~ to try them...
He said he’s ~ for a similar challenge next year.
ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ to-inf, ADJ for n
11.
see also ~ly
12.
If someone or something gives the ~ away, they reveal a secret or reveal their feelings, and this puts them at a disadvantage.
The faces of the two conspirators gave the ~ away.
PHRASE: V inflects
13.
If you are new to a particular ~, you have not done a particular activity or been in a particular situation before.
Don’t forget that she’s new to this ~ and will take a while to complete the task.
PHRASE: v-link PHR
14.
If you beat someone at their own ~, 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 ~...
The police knew that to trap the killer they had to play him at his own ~.
PHRASE: PHR after v
15.
If you say that someone is playing ~s or playing silly ~s, you mean that they are not treating a situation seriously and you are annoyed with them.
‘Don’t play ~s with me’ he thundered...
From what I know of him he doesn’t play silly ~s.
PHRASE: V inflects disapproval
16.
If you say that someone has raised their ~, you mean that they have begun to perform better, usually because they were under pressure to do so.
The world No. 9 had to raise his ~ to see off a strong challenge from Dale...
As it expands its services around the continent, the competition it offers should force the other airlines to raise their ~.
PHRASE
17.
If you say the ~ 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 ~ was already up.
PHRASE: V inflects