Meaning & use
on your A game
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Performing at your best; playing or working as well as you possibly can.
Grammar: Used with a possessive adjective: 'on my A game', 'on his A game'. It describes a temporary state, not a permanent quality.
Patterns
- on one's A game
- bring one's A game
She was really on her A game during the interview and got the job.
The team needs to be on their A game if they want to beat the champions.
I wasn't on my A game today, so I made a few silly mistakes.
Common combinations
- be on your A game
- You need to be on your A game for the final exam.
- bring your A game
- Make sure you bring your A game to the meeting tomorrow.
- not on your A game
- He wasn't on his A game and lost the match.
Synonyms and how they differ
- at your best
- More neutral and slightly more formal; it can refer to a general peak condition rather than a particular performance.
- on form
- Common in British English, especially for sports and performance; it means performing well at the moment.
Opposites
Commonly confused: on your A game or A-game?
on your A game vs A-game
The noun 'A-game' means your best performance or effort. 'On your A game' is the adjectival phrase describing the state of performing at your best.
Practice
She was ___ during the presentation and impressed everyone.
Choose one answer.
The correct idiom is 'on one's A game', meaning performing at your best. 'On A game' is missing the possessive adjective; 'in' and 'at' are not used with this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “on your A game”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.