war game

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

war′ game′, [Mil.]

1. Military a simulated military operation, carried out to test the validity of a war plan or operational concept: in its simplest form, two opposing teams of officers take part, and when necessary, military units of the required strength are employed.

• 1820–30

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

war game noun

1. a notional tactical exercise for training military commanders, in which no military units are actually deployed
2. a game in which model soldiers are used to create battles, esp past battles, in order to study tactics

verb war-game

1. (intransitive) to prepare for battle by considering possible tactics and enemy responses