in the game

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in the game

1. (idiomatic, sports) Competing in a game, with a chance of winning.

   Synonyms: in the running, in the hunt

   • 2011 January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC‎:

     Foster had been left unsighted by Scott Dann's positioning at his post, but the goalkeeper was about to prove his worth to Birmingham by keeping them in the game with a series of stunning saves as West Ham produced waves after wave of attack in their bid to find a crucial second goal.

2. (idiomatic) Focused; engaged; serious.

   He's seriously doing badly in school right now. He needs to get back in the game, or he's gonna drop out.

3. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: in the game.