head game
2
8.6
- noun
- /hɛd ɡeɪm/
- Informal
:
juego mental
- But l'm not playing head games.
- playing head games
Last thing, last one big head game you play with yourself if you lose.
- Last thing, last one big head game you play with yourself if you lose.
Examples
-
Last thing, last one big head game you play with yourself if you lose.
-
l'm not playing head games.
-
Is it me that's playing head games with you, Mr. Green?
-
These numbers are clearly playing head games with Swisher.
Blog text (32) -
Don't let them play head games with you, Jake.
-
lf anyone's playing head games, you're playing head games.
-
lf anyone's playing head games, you're playing head games.
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She decided to stop engaging in his head games after realizing he was just trying to manipulate her feelings.
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The politician used head games to confuse his opponents and gain an advantage during the debate.
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After his head games left her feeling insecure, she knew it was time to end the toxic relationship.
Synonyms
163
3.9
An action that makes someone believe something not true
130
5.5
Getting someone to do what you want to help yourself using clever or dishonest actions
27
4.9
To use dishonest ways to cheat people
15
7.2
A trick people use to confuse or control someone to gain an advantage
3
9.9
Secret dishonest actions that trick people to get money or power
3
5.7
Making facts or numbers seem better than they are
3
9.9
Hiding your true feelings or intentions by pretending
1
5.4
An action that hurts or deceives someone on purpose
1
9.7
Dishonest words or actions that try to trick people
A plan to control people by tricking them
Making someone doubt their memory or feelings
Dishonest actions that try to trick people
Cheating people to get their money or an advantage
Antonyms
How Manipulative
33
7.7
- Offensive
2
7.4
- Informal
2
8.6
15
7.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines 'head' (metonymically 'mind') with 'game' (play/plot), so a learner who maps 'head' to mental states and knows 'play games' can plausibly infer a sense of psychological manipulation. However, this relies on a metaphorical/metonymic extension (head→mind) and the idiomatic use of 'play games', so the precise manipulative nuance is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Head game comes from the image of someone playing a game inside another person's head, moving thoughts like pieces to confuse or upset them, so it now means 'to trick or control someone'.