garbage time
noun
US, sports
: the final moments or minutes of a game in which one side has an insurmountable lead, substitutes often enter the game in place of starting players, and scoring is typically easier because of looser defensive play
… the forgotten foursome of Greg Kite, Fred Roberts, Sam Vicent and Conner Henry will be on call in case of extreme emergency and those meaningless minutes appropriately referred to as garbage time.—
Gerry Finn
Gerry FinnOne touchdown was all the Broncos' D allowed, and that came in garbage time.—Paul Zimmerman
Paul ZimmermanExamples of garbage time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If things go as expected this offseason, Pierce will be playing in garbage time with the second unit, at the worst.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
More than half of Coit’s 11 points came in garbage time.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2025
Then again, the Chiefs’ entire game was garbage time.
—Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2025
James entered the game during garbage time and played a few minutes before the contest ended.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for garbage time
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cameron Teague Robinson, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
More than half of Coit’s 11 points came in garbage time.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2025
Then again, the Chiefs’ entire game was garbage time.
—Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2025
James entered the game during garbage time and played a few minutes before the contest ended.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for garbage time
Articles Related to garbage time
Cite this Entry
“Garbage time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbage%20time. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share