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second period

second period

11 2.7
The part of a sports game that comes after the first part
  • noun
translation icon : segundo periodo
  • The Gophers were able to start the second period on the right foot on the man advantage.
  • second period began

But actually this second period has been so much easier than the first.

Examples

  • The Bronchos came out firing to start the second period and did not let up.

    Blog text (10)
  • Colby had a pair of power play opportunities in the second period, but could not take advantage.

    Blog text (9)
  • But actually this second period has been so much easier than the first.

  • Different story in the second period.

  • The ball is fired for the start of the second period.

  • And so we were tied, 2-2, at the end of the second period.

    Academic text (1999)
  • I felt a little looser in the second period, watching my Red Sky Raiders take it to the blue team.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The game, as a whole, was a chippy one, and the second period was a penalty-filled one.

    Blog text (26)
  • Seattle caught its breath, stuffed in four goals in the second period, and eventually won a shocker, 5-2.

    Blog text (21)
  • With only five minutes left in the second period, the score was tied at 3-3.

How Late

overtime
  • US
65 2.8
final period
1 3.1
second period
11 2.7
first period
15 2.0

Surface Forms

second period singular

Morphology

2nd + period

The phrase is fully compositional: 'second' (the ordinal following first) combined with 'period' (a measured interval) yields the straightforward meaning 'the second segment of time or play.' This construction is cross-linguistically common and follows standard counting + time-unit patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The noun second period comes from sports where a game is split into separate parts. It literally names the second period, or the game's second part, so it means 'the second division of play'.