Meanings
- idiomaticA numbers game: the use of inappropriate statistics (numbers) to reflect a desired result (usually misleading).
This sounds like we are playing number games, and I wonder if 20000 megawatts is a realistic guess.
1980, United States House of Representatives, Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Energy Research and Production, (transcript of the proceedings about the) Omnibus Geothermal Energy Legislation, page 1592 more examples
To many of their compatriots, politicians seem an innately frivolous breed. […] When they have to retire backstage, they spend their time playing number games, plotting new combinations, making and unmaking coalitions.
2011, David Gilmour, The Pursuit of Italy: A History of a Land, Its Regions, and Their Peoples, page 389"In other words, they were playing number games with an author so they didn't look bad to their investors. They do it a lot."
2006, Liam Miller, Memento Mori - pluralplural of number game: lotteries, numbers games.
Like several other northeastern states, New York has also legalized various forms of lottery and number games.
1990, John Dombrink, William Norman Thompson, The Last Resort: Success And Failure In Campaigns For Casinos, page 991 more example
The functional argument also encompasses the "victimless crime" issue: prostitution, narcotics, and number games are illegal, yet they flourish and are indeed eagerly sought out by everyday citizens.
1993, Peter DeLeon, Thinking About Political Corruption, page 36
Cite this entry
number games. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/number%20games
“number games.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/number%20games. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “number games,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/number%20games.
Source: number games on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.