🗓️ Idiom: Zero-Sum Game (n)
💬 Meaning
- A situation where one person’s gain is another person’s loss.
- If someone wins, someone else must lose the same amount.
🧠 Example Sentences
- In price wars, it’s often a zero-sum game. When one company gains, another loses.
- Negotiations don’t always have to be a zero-sum game.
- Some people see competition as a zero-sum game, but teamwork can benefit everyone.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from game theory in economics and mathematics. A “zero-sum game” is a situation where the total amount of value stays the same. If one side gains, the other side must lose the same amount. It’s often used in business and politics.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
In a __________, one person’s win means another person’s loss.
Answer
zero-sum game
2. Choose the correct meaning of “zero-sum game”:
A) A win-win situation for everyone
B) A situation where everyone gets the same result
C) A situation where gains and losses are equal and balanced
D) A system with no competition
Answer
C) A situation where gains and losses are equal and balanced
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“If we win the contract, it means the other company loses it.” → Change the sentence using: zero-sum game
Answer
Winning the contract is a zero-sum game.
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