Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

name of the game

NOUN
main idea
Synonyms
WEAK
bottom line chief thing essence main point real issue where it's at

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Getting the cost of inference down is the name of the game now.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

“Restoration is the name of the game, not intrusion,” Mike told me, and he wasn’t talking just about the estuary.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

Patience was the name of the game for England after Ben Duckett and Rehan Ahmed lost theirs, but Root produced a masterclass in it.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

Flexibility is the name of the game, second only to talent.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

Obtaining Personal Information The name of the game in statistics is the inferring of information about a large population by examining characteristics of a small, randomly selected sample.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos