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
Mazzulla followed suit, giving 10-day signee Charles Bassey and rookies Amari Williams, Max Shulga and John Tonje some run in garbage time.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
Not to complete garbage time chores.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Mostly playing garbage time minutes for the Lakers, or the occasional start when injuries depleted the game-day roster, Bronny James stepped into rotation minutes in Indiana.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
San Antonio outscored Miami by five points in the 10 minutes that Ware played through the first three quarters before garbage time began in the fourth quarter of the lopsided contest.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for garbage time
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Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
Not to complete garbage time chores.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Mostly playing garbage time minutes for the Lakers, or the occasional start when injuries depleted the game-day roster, Bronny James stepped into rotation minutes in Indiana.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
San Antonio outscored Miami by five points in the 10 minutes that Ware played through the first three quarters before garbage time began in the fourth quarter of the lopsided contest.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for garbage time
Cite this Entry
“Garbage time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbage%20time. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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