game changer

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a person, innovation, event, or action that fundamentally alters the dynamics, rules, or possibilities of a contest, industry, or situation, shifting competitive advantage in ways that require all parties to adapt; originating in sport, where a game-changing play is one that reverses momentum or opens up a decisive advantage, the phrase has migrated across business, technology, and politics to describe anything that disrupts an established order and creates a new landscape; calling something a game changer implies that the normal strategies and assumptions of competitors are no longer adequate, and that success now requires rethinking the basic approach to the challenge