pregame
1 of 2adjective
pre·game ˈprē-ˌgām 
: existing or occurring before a game
a pregame party
the athlete's usual pregame meal/warm-up
The Bulls had finished their pregame shooting and were returning for the regular pregame meeting to go over the scouting report …
Sam Smith
Sam Smithpregame
2 of 2verb
pre·game ˌprē-ˈgām
pregamed; pregaming
intransitive verb
US, informal
: to begin drinking alcohol before an event or activity (such as a party or a night out)
Her friends, all in their 20s and pregaming for a Saturday night out in the bars, nodded enthusiastically. Dan Kois
Dan KoisOn the same principle, pregaming with a few shots before you arrive is a risky maneuver. You should be relatively sober when you present your host gift and size up the situation. Pete Wells
Pete Wells pregaming noun
Pregaming … is the practice of consuming alcohol before going to a social event. Georgina Lawton
Georgina Lawton … students reported higher rates of pregaming and alcohol-related blackouts than national averages. Tess Sohngen
Tess Sohngen 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Chase Michaelson, Detroit Free Press, 11 Nov. 2019 Arizona State football: 4 game tickets in the Athletic Director’s suite with pregame sideline passes and parking pass. Jeff Metcalfe, azcentral, 1 May 2020 No pregame basketball starters shaking hands and hugging, no postgame hockey lines? Marc Bona, cleveland, 26 Apr. 2020 New this year: Tigers players will be available for pregame autographs prior to select Saturday home games. Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, 20 Feb. 2020 Now, of course, men like Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Kelly Oubre Jr. embrace style so avidly that the stroll from tunnel to arena has become a pregame version of the Oscars red carpet. New York Times, 29 Jan. 2020 Serving as her team’s captain on Sunday, Dunn stood at the head of its pregame handshake line as a queue of players from Spain, having just high-fived the referees, approached the Americans with their hands out. Andrew Keh, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2020 At the beginning of his eighth-grade basketball season, Devon injured his knee on a freak accident in the pregame layup line. Jon Blau, Indianapolis Star, 2 Jan. 2020 The 49ers and Chiefs each lined up on the 24-yard-line — Bryant wore No. 24 — for a pregame moment of silence to honor the victims of the crash as well as NFL Hall of Famer Chris Doleman, who also passed away last week. Sean Gregory, Time, 3 Feb. 2020 Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2022 Before the team takes on the San Francisco Giants, fans with game tickets can pregame with discounted drinks and live music in Gallagher Square. San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2022 Go with a few pals, pregame it and keep your expectations reasonable. Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 27 Jan. 2022 Music fans got to pregame their Thanksgiving table arguments today, after the Recording Academy announced its 2022 Grammy nominations. Justin Curto, Vulture, 23 Nov. 2021 Defensive back Qwuantrezz Knight ascribed some of UCLA’s struggles to pregame jitters. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2021 Juzang was a straggler to pregame warmups, walking over to a courtside chair to tie his shoes while his teammates started stretching on the court. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2021 Why did 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman say Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t shake his hand during Monday’s pregame coin toss when that wasn’t accurate? Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, 10 Oct. 2019 The game, between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, begins at 6:30 p.m. The interview will be part of Fox’s pregame show and will air at around 3:30 p.m. John Bisognano, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2020 See More
Adjective
Breslin Center held a pregame moment of silence in Zachary’s memory, during which both Cassius and Izzo were visibly emotional. Chase Michaelson, Detroit Free Press, 11 Nov. 2019 Arizona State football: 4 game tickets in the Athletic Director’s suite with pregame sideline passes and parking pass. Jeff Metcalfe, azcentral, 1 May 2020 No pregame basketball starters shaking hands and hugging, no postgame hockey lines? Marc Bona, cleveland, 26 Apr. 2020 New this year: Tigers players will be available for pregame autographs prior to select Saturday home games. Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, 20 Feb. 2020 Now, of course, men like Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Kelly Oubre Jr. embrace style so avidly that the stroll from tunnel to arena has become a pregame version of the Oscars red carpet. New York Times, 29 Jan. 2020 Serving as her team’s captain on Sunday, Dunn stood at the head of its pregame handshake line as a queue of players from Spain, having just high-fived the referees, approached the Americans with their hands out. Andrew Keh, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2020 At the beginning of his eighth-grade basketball season, Devon injured his knee on a freak accident in the pregame layup line. Jon Blau, Indianapolis Star, 2 Jan. 2020 The 49ers and Chiefs each lined up on the 24-yard-line — Bryant wore No. 24 — for a pregame moment of silence to honor the victims of the crash as well as NFL Hall of Famer Chris Doleman, who also passed away last week. Sean Gregory, Time, 3 Feb. 2020 Verb
Sarah Jean Maher, Poitras discussed everything from his childhood memories to pregame superstitions and more. Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2022 Before the team takes on the San Francisco Giants, fans with game tickets can pregame with discounted drinks and live music in Gallagher Square. San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2022 Go with a few pals, pregame it and keep your expectations reasonable. Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 27 Jan. 2022 Music fans got to pregame their Thanksgiving table arguments today, after the Recording Academy announced its 2022 Grammy nominations. Justin Curto, Vulture, 23 Nov. 2021 Defensive back Qwuantrezz Knight ascribed some of UCLA’s struggles to pregame jitters. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2021 Juzang was a straggler to pregame warmups, walking over to a courtside chair to tie his shoes while his teammates started stretching on the court. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2021 Why did 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman say Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t shake his hand during Monday’s pregame coin toss when that wasn’t accurate? Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, 10 Oct. 2019 The game, between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, begins at 6:30 p.m. The interview will be part of Fox’s pregame show and will air at around 3:30 p.m. John Bisognano, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
Adjective
1906, in the meaning defined above
Verb
2004, in the meaning defined above