The Rice University Neologisms Database

Definition: to drink before one attends a gathering, a party, or before going out, most commonly in the context of college life. Pregame Origin: I first heard this term upon arriving to college in August of 2004, however there are citations of the word as early as May of 2003. This term was derived through metonymy, originally came from tailgating which is a get together before a big sporting event where drinking and getting drunk previous to the game occurs. Now a similar idea to tailgating occurs for young people, they gather previous to going out to a club or a party and they drink and get intoxicated “pre” going out, similar to tailgating and drinking which occur “pregame.”