Sports & Games

To gain entry to a school, competition, or position by performing outstandingly well.

To defeat or outperform someone decisively, or to manoeuvre someone out of a position.

To advance to an older age category, or (in fiction/games) to represent a character as older.

To direct a weapon, camera, or effort toward a target, or to design something for a specific group.

To inflate a tyre, ball, or other object by adding air to it.

To place your initial stake in a card game (especially poker) to enter the round, or figuratively to commit resources to something.

To put in your initial stake in a gambling game, or to pay or contribute money, especially when required to participate in something.

To put bait on a hook, trap, or area in preparation for fishing or hunting.

To deflect or bounce something off a surface, especially in a ball sport.

To roll or cause something to roll away from a surface or area in a ball-like motion.

To secure or block something by placing a bar across it; in ice hockey slang, a shot that hits the crossbar and goes down into the net.

To discuss ideas informally and casually; to knock or hit something in various directions.

To discuss ideas casually and informally; to knock something back and forth.

To deflect, dismiss, or push something aside with a batting movement; to ward off questions or criticism.

To score a run or point by batting in a sport, or (informally) to contribute to a discussion or score.

A baseball call announcing that the next batter should come to the plate; broadly, a call to get ready for action.

To compete or struggle intensely against an opponent until one side wins.

To carry or take something away, especially as a prize or reward; in sailing, to steer away from the wind.

To press downward with force; to make a stronger effort; or (during childbirth) to push.

To subject someone to extremely hard and exhausting physical training or exercise, often as discipline. (British military slang)

To successfully repel an attack, challenge, or competitor.

To defeat a competitor or rival; to extinguish fire by hitting it; to produce a rhythm by tapping.

To do or reach something before someone else does.

In poker and card games: to make the first bet in a betting round, especially when acting from an early position.

To place a bet on behalf of a group of people, collecting their stake and placing it as one.

To increase the amount of a bet, or to encourage or pressure others to place higher bets.

To eliminate, overwhelm, or exhaust something or someone with sudden, intense force.

To impress someone greatly; to defeat someone decisively; or for wind to carry something away.

To extinguish a flame with breath or wind; to fail suddenly; or to defeat someone easily.

To dip briefly below the surface of water or below an obstacle.

To leap or spring forward energetically, or to progress rapidly ahead of others.

To withdraw gracefully from a commitment, competition, or position, especially at the end of a career or role.

To knock or roll something down with force, or to travel down a road or path rapidly.

In cricket, to dismiss a batsman by hitting the stumps with the ball; more broadly, to defeat or eliminate someone.

In basketball, to use your body to position yourself between an opponent and the basket; more broadly, to prevent someone from getting somet

to force or work your way downward with the chest or front of the body against resistance

to force or work your way upward against resistance

to pass someone or something very easily, quickly, or confidently

To cover someone or something with bruises, or to become badly bruised.

To sweep hair backwards away from the face; or (baseball) to throw a pitch that forces a batter to move away from the plate.

For a horse or animal to lower its head and kick up its back legs in an attempt to throw off a rider.

For a horse or other animal to throw a rider off its back by jumping and kicking violently.

To gain muscle mass and increase body weight through exercise and diet.

To start or restart play in field hockey with a bully (a ritualized contest between two opposing players).

To remove something by burning, or to use up energy or calories through physical activity.

To eat a large amount of carbohydrate-rich foods before an athletic event or intense physical activity in order to maximize energy stores.

To withdraw all money from an account, convert holdings into cash, or leave a game with one's winnings.

To mark something off a list, or to mark out a physical area using chalk.

To achieve or record something, often a success, score, or total.

To shift to a higher gear when driving; or to vary or alter something to make it different.

To rush or move downward or toward something with speed and force; also to block or deflect something by charging toward it.

To encourage and support someone actively, especially during a competition or challenge.

An instruction to lower the chest toward the ground, used in exercise, yoga, or physical training contexts.

An instruction to raise the chest and stand or sit with good posture, used in exercise, coaching, or encouragement.

To select members for opposing teams, especially for informal games.

To form or gather into a circle

To deliberately use up the remaining time on a game clock, especially to protect a lead.

To accumulate or reach a particular total of something, such as miles, hours, or points.

To intensively train or develop someone's skills, especially through personal coaching.

to start behind and then catch up or win

to begin, improve, make progress, or be used to encourage or complain

To advance from a disadvantaged or trailing position and catch up with or overtake others.

To count items or people one by one, often while naming or listing them.

To experience a sudden, painful muscle contraction, usually during or after physical activity.

To fall asleep very quickly due to exhaustion; or to be eliminated from a competition.

Gaming slang for achieving a critical hit that eliminates or severely damages a target; also informally used for emphatically criticising so

Chiefly British and Australian: to avoid work, sport, or duty by claiming or using injury or illness as an excuse.

Informal/internet slang: to be eliminated from a situation, gene pool, or competition due to one's own stupidity, recklessness, or poor deci

To distribute or dispense something — especially punishment, criticism, or blows — forcefully or in measured portions.

To distribute something among several people, or to inflict something such as punishment.

To give cards or deliver a blow to a specific person.

Either to perform something with minimal effort and low engagement, or (in sports/performance contexts) to achieve peak calibrated performan

To start eating enthusiastically; to establish a defensive position; or to resist firmly.

To quickly pass or hand something off to another person, especially in a sports context.

To gradually move into a leading position ahead of a competitor.

To move away from a group or person, or to increase a lead over competitors.

A military command to align properly in a formation relative to the person on one side.

To move to a position further behind others in a group, race, or ranking, either deliberately or because of slower progress.

To fail to keep up with others or with a required pace or schedule.

To withdraw from a course, competition, organisation, or conventional lifestyle before completion.

To fight or compete intensely with someone in order to settle a dispute or determine a winner.

To knock someone out or defeat someone in a fight; a less common variant of 'duke it out'.

To publicly humiliate, defeat decisively, or make fun of someone, especially in a clever or dramatic way; derived from basketball dunking.

(Very informal, chiefly American) To fail out of or withdraw from school, a program, or a competition.

In golf, to complete a hole in two strokes under par.

In golf slang, to score or improve one's score to eagle level on a hole.

To defeat or displace someone or something by a very small margin.

To make two sides, amounts, or scores equal, especially after one has been at a disadvantage.

To confront or compete directly against someone or something, often at a decisive or dramatic moment.

To deceive or bluff someone with a false move or misleading action.

To settle a disagreement, competition, or conflict by fighting or competing until one side wins.

To settle or resolve a dispute, competition, or conflict by fighting or competing until a conclusion is reached.

To continue and complete a fixed period, season, contract, or role through to its natural end.

To succeed or escape a bad situation purely by chance or a stroke of luck.

To achieve something positive accidentally or through unintended chance.

In sports, to be removed from a game for committing too many fouls.

To gradually reduce the distance between yourself and someone or something ahead of you; to make progress relative to a competitor.

An exclamation signalling that a competition, challenge, or situation is active and everyone is ready to engage.

To think through a situation strategically by considering possible scenarios and outcomes.

An expression declaring that a situation has ended, especially in failure or defeat.

To command a horse to go faster, or to encourage a person to work harder or show more enthusiasm.

To move into a leading position relative to someone or something specific.

To gain a competitive advantage or score a point over a rival.

To scold, punish, or criticize someone harshly, or to defeat someone convincingly.

To put on gloves in preparation for a task, fight, or procedure.

An encouraging expression telling someone to try something boldly or without hesitation.

To enjoy or regularly participate in an activity, or to enter a competition.

In sport, to score or enter a target by first bouncing or deflecting off another object or surface.

To compete directly with or face as an opponent, especially someone or something considered difficult to beat.

To struggle or deal with a difficult problem, idea, or physical opponent.

In baseball, to be put out by hitting a ground ball; more broadly, to come to a halt or fail to advance.

To endure or complete something very difficult through sheer determination and willpower.

To manage, deal with, or perform effectively, especially in a difficult or competitive situation.

To attack, attempt, or begin working on something energetically; used as an imperative invitation to proceed.

In dog training, to command a dog to swing its hindquarters outward away from the handler.

To raise or tilt the heel end of something upward; also a dog training command to bring the dog into the heel position.

To walk out of a remote or wilderness area on foot; in sailing, to lean one's body outward over the side of the boat for balance.

To continue hitting or striking something repeatedly and energetically.

In golf, to complete a hole by successfully hitting the ball into the cup

To climb quickly onto a surface; or to stimulate or modify something for greater performance.

To become more intense, exciting, dangerous, or competitive.

To jump or move energetically in different directions; to jump repeatedly without a set direction.

To jump energetically in different directions, or to switch rapidly between topics, tasks, or places.

To maintain a lead or advantage over a competitor or to remain in advance of something.

To continue doing something at the same level or standard, often used as encouragement.

To focus on or target a particular person, thing, or aspect, especially in sports or strategy.

To start an event or activity, especially in an energetic or official way; also, to become angry, or to be removed from a place.

To direct a kick toward a specific person, target, or location.

A gymnastic move in which a person springs from lying on their back to a standing position in one quick motion.

To provide someone or something with all the necessary equipment, clothing, or gear.

To drive something into a surface or a position by hitting it, or to score in certain sports.

To cause someone to become unconscious, to eliminate from a competition, to impress greatly, or to produce something quickly.

To raise one's fists in preparation for a fistfight; to prepare to fight.

To catch or secure something (typically an animal) with a lasso; figuratively, to catch or obtain something with effort.

To be the first to do something, to begin a sequence of events or speakers, especially in a formal or competitive setting.

(Sports) To run as fast as possible to complete a play, especially in baseball or cricket.

An act of helping someone climb up physically, or an advantage or helpful start given to someone.

To stretch and warm up the body to become more flexible before physical activity; also figuratively to prepare for any challenging task.

To reach the maximum legal number of fish or game that a hunter or angler is permitted to catch in one day.

To arrange in a line; a specific restart method in rugby; or an audio output signal connection.

In golf, when a ball rolls to the edge of the hole (the 'lip') and spins out without dropping in.

A fielding position in cricket located near the boundary on the off side, behind and to the left of the bowler from the batsman's perspectiv

To watch something happen without taking part in it.

A sailing term meaning to steer a boat closer to the direction of the wind, causing the sails to flap or lose their fill.

An exclamation used to report that a person (originally a soldier) has been injured or is incapacitated; also used informally to mean a team

To climb something quickly and nimbly, using hands and feet, in the manner of a monkey.

To build up physical muscle mass through exercise, or to gather the strength or resolve to do something.

To give small, sharp bites or pinches; or, figuratively, to be very close behind someone in a competition.

To discover information by careful searching, or to defeat a rival by a very small margin.

To achieve or score something, especially a victory, record, or total.

To move or progress slightly in front of others, often by a small margin.

To displace or defeat someone or something by a small margin or gradually.

To apply oil to something or someone, either to lubricate machinery or to coat the body with oil.

To gain an advantage over someone by doing something slightly better or more impressive than them.

To put on protective padding, especially before playing cricket or a contact sport.

To complete a hole in golf at exactly the par score (expected number of strokes).

To join with one other person to form a pair or team, especially for a task or activity.

In online gaming, to join or form a group of players who will play together as a team.

An informal command or encouragement to go faster, work harder, or increase energy and pace.

To place two people, groups, or things in direct competition or conflict with each other.

In motorsport, to exit the pit lane and rejoin the racing circuit.

To play a sports match at the opponent's ground; or to be sexually unfaithful to a partner.

To perform, compete, or take part in a game or musical event within a particular place or context.

To pit two sides against each other, exploit a contrast between things, or compete in a deciding match.

To happen or develop over time, or to act out a scenario, or to reach the end of play in a game.

To continue playing despite an obstacle, pain, or interruption, or in golf to pass through another group of players.

To display or publish something publicly, or in basketball, to position oneself in the post.

To move or progress rapidly and forcefully, often with confidence or competitive advantage.

to lie stretched out face down

to upset, confuse, or intimidate someone mentally

to mentally prepare yourself or someone for a challenge

to move into the lead or make faster progress than others

To support or hope for someone's success, especially when the outcome is uncertain.

To succeed or win at the last moment, especially after being close to failure.

To inflate something using a pump, to increase in volume or intensity, or to energise and motivate someone.

To achieve results or compete at a level higher than one's resources, size, or status would suggest.

To be formally eliminated from a competition, program, or process by failing to meet the required qualifying standard.

To promote a pawn to a queen in chess; or informally, to assert oneself with confidence and power.

To accumulate a large amount of something, such as points, debts, wins, or costs, often rapidly.

To cause an outdoor event to be cancelled or stopped because of rain.

To cause an outdoor event to be cancelled or stopped because of rain.

To prepare oneself or signal that one is ready, often used in gaming or casual group situations.

to pull something in, especially with a reel, or to attract and secure something valuable

to pull on the reins to stop or check a horse

In golf and basketball, for a ball to hit the rim or edge of the hole/hoop and bounce out without scoring.

To perform or behave with extreme energy, skill, and enthusiasm, often at a party, concert, or competition; sometimes also means to discard

To move forward very powerfully and quickly, often with a roaring sound; or for something such as an economy or team to make rapid, impressi

To make a strong and impressive comeback after being behind or in difficulty; to respond with great power after a setback.

To encourage someone loudly and enthusiastically, especially a crowd cheering for a team or performer.

To support and want someone or something to succeed, especially in a competition or difficult situation.

To descend or extract someone/something using a rope; or (in climbing) to lower oneself or something down by rope.

To tie someone or something with rope, or (in climbing) to connect oneself or a group with a safety rope before ascending.

To propel a boat upstream or toward a specified destination by rowing.

To put a saddle on a horse in preparation for riding; figuratively, to prepare to begin a task or journey.

To accidentally cause harm or disadvantage to oneself by one's own actions, as in scoring an own goal.

To record or accumulate points in a game or competition, or to notch up an achievement.

To climb up something quickly and awkwardly, typically using both hands and feet.

To form or gather into a tight group, often urgently, borrowed from rugby's 'scrum' formation

To not participate in an activity or event, remaining on the sidelines; a rare variant of 'sit out'

To post something, to give someone a farewell, or (in sport) to order a player to leave the field.

A dice-game term used in craps meaning to roll a seven after the point has been established, ending the shooter's turn.

(Vulgar British slang) To achieve something with effortless, overwhelming ease.

To put on shoes, especially before a physical activity

To practice shooting basketballs casually, or to move/spread rapidly in different directions

To settle a dispute or competition by gunfire or by an intense decisive contest

To force a final confrontation or, in card games, to reveal one's hand.

To prevent someone from entering or being included; to block something from one's mind; in sport, to prevent the opposition from scoring.

To adjust and calibrate the sights of a firearm so that it shoots accurately at a given distance.

to remain seated and not take part until something is over

to continue moving or continue lightly without engaging deeply

In cricket, to dismiss a batting side quickly and for a low score, one after another.

To throw or fling something toward a target.

To deceive someone or get something past their notice or defenses

To decelerate from a starting point, or to be slow in getting started

To exit or emerge at a reduced speed, particularly in motorsport or competitive contexts

To engage in a prolonged, hard-fought physical or figurative contest or argument

To forcefully hit or strike something out, or to produce something with great effort

To forcefully rebuke, defeat, or physically knock someone down.

To hit something out of a place or out of someone's hands with a sharp blow.

To cancel or prevent an outdoor event or activity because of heavy snow.

To hit someone or something hard, or to tackle a task with great energy and force.

To do something in an impressively forceful, powerful, or effective way, often to an audience or opponent.

To prepare to fight, compete against, or confront someone directly

To barely manage to achieve or produce something, often by the narrowest possible margin

To defeat someone in a staring contest by maintaining eye contact until they look away, or to gaze fixedly out of a window.

To attach equipment or gear to your body using straps.

To become stronger or to make something stronger, especially through training or reinforcement.

To delete something written, to fail (especially in baseball), to begin an independent journey, or to attack.

To put a substitute player, ingredient, or element into a game, recipe, or system in place of another.

To remove a player, ingredient, or component and replace them with a substitute.

To put on a suit, uniform, or specialized outfit in preparation for an activity.

To lose weight, fluid, or something undesirable by sweating through physical exercise or heat.

To swing continuously or with full effort, or to move away in a swinging arc.

To attach something to a wall or board using tacks or pins; also, to put a saddle and bridle on a horse

(Surfing slang) For a surfboard to fold or bend severely under stress, resembling the shape of a taco

To touch a teammate to signal the transfer of turns, especially in tag-relay sports or games

In baseball, to put a runner out by touching them with the ball; also, to switch players in a tag-team sport

In baseball, to return to and touch your base before running after a fly ball is caught; also, to label or mark something with tags

To accept an offer, invitation, or bet that someone has proposed.

To enter data by lightly pressing a touchscreen or keypad, or to score easily by tapping a ball into a goal.

To signal surrender or exhaustion in combat or informal use, to exhaust a supply, or to type something out by tapping.

(British football slang) To illegally approach a player who is contracted to another club with an offer to switch teams.

To join together with one or more other people to work toward a common goal.

To form a partnership or working group with a specific person or organisation.

To perform, behave, or compete with outstanding energy and brilliance, especially in an informal context.

To hit the first golf shot of a hole, to start a formal event, or (informal) to annoy someone.

To place a golf ball on a tee ready to play, or to prepare something so that someone else can use, succeed with, or present it easily.

To throw or drop something forcefully onto a surface; or to issue a challenge; or (slang) to perform impressively.

In climbing, to move upward through a narrow crack or chimney by pressing and squeezing the body against the rock.

In betting, when a horse or competitor is withdrawn from a race, causing a specific type of each-way bet to be settled in a particular way.

To calculate or plan something so that it fits exactly within a specific time period.

To pause activity for a rest or penalty, or for a system to stop due to exceeding its time limit.

To make someone feel very tired and lacking energy, usually through physical or mental activity.

To throw something upward, to decide something by flipping a coin, or to describe a situation where two options are equally likely.

Of an aircraft, to land or make contact with the ground; in American football, to score a touchdown.

to come after someone or something at a distance or lower level

To test something to see how well it works, or to participate in a trial to see if you are good enough for a team or role.

A traditional Australian and British gambling game in which two coins are tossed and players bet on whether they land heads or tails.

To strongly encourage someone to keep going or to try harder.

To win or obtain something easily and impressively, or to take something away from a place.

To take something, either by winning it easily or by stealing it casually.

To do gentle exercise after a more intense workout in order to let the body recover gradually.

To gradually become warmer, to prepare the body for exercise, to prepare a machine or engine, or to make someone feel more comfortable and r

To be officially weighed before a competition, or to join a discussion or argument with a strong opinion.

To hit, beat, or overpower someone or something forcefully; primarily used in American regional dialects.

To avoid doing something difficult, unpleasant, or daring because of weakness or cowardice.

To ultimately succeed or prevail, especially in competition with something else or against difficulties.