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zero-sum game

noun

Mathematics.
  1. a game in which the sum of the winnings and losses of the various players is always zero, the losses being counted negatively.


zero-sum game

noun

  1. (in game theory) a contest in which one person's loss is equal to the other person's gain
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

zero-sum game

  1. A game in which the sum of the winnings by all the players is zero. In a zero-sum game, a gain by one player must be matched by a loss by another player. Poker is a zero-sum game if the house does not take a cut as a charge for playing.

zero-sum game

  1. A game in which the winnings of some players must equal the losses of the others. Zero-sum games are mentioned in a political context when it is believed that resources are limited, and every decision will produce both winners and losers. In such situations, political decisions will be made on the basis of trade-offs between competing interests.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of zero-sum game1

First recorded in 1940–45
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Example Sentences

Trying to find compromise when the other side views politics and political life and society as a zero-sum game and in doing so rejects democracy and pluralism is an act of surrender.

From Salon

She will say: "I believe that a closer economic relationship between the UK and the EU is not a zero-sum game. It's about improving both our growth prospects."

From BBC

But to reduce or suspend funding for research into infectious diseases that can have an acute impact on public health, as though all this research is part of a zero-sum game, would be catastrophic.

"We must protect our biosphere - it is not a zero-sum game," he added, pointing to a recent report by the Office for National Statistics that valued UK ecosystems at £1.8tn.

From BBC

His goal is effectively a zero-sum game with the West.

From Salon

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