ball game
noun
variants
or ballgame
plural ball games or ballgames
1
: a game played with a ball
We have to take care of the basketball. If you don't have the basketball it's hard to win a ball game.—
LaToya Bennett, quoted in The Huntsville (Texas) Item
LaToya Bennett, quoted in The Huntsville (Texas) Item… returned a punt for a touchdown in the first half of the football game to help Georgia earn their first points of the ball game.—Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams
especially, US
: a baseball game
… Lyons was thrown out trying to steal third to end the ball game … —Mark Starr
Mark Starr 2
informal
a
: a set of circumstances : situation
Driving in Britain is a different ball game.—Robert Lacville
Robert Lacville… once that blaze surged across the river, it would be a whole new ball game.—Jeffrey J. Smith
Jeffrey J. Smith
b
: contest sense 1
… on Mar. 17, the candidates must stagger to high-stakes caucuses in Michigan, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Kentucky. The ball game could be over by Mar. 20 …—Business Week
Business WeekExamples of ball game in a Sentence
He was popular because he was good at ball games.
Dad took us to a ball game.
watching a ball game on TV
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthews, who started 11 of his 19 winter ball games at second base, impressed Espada with his ability to handle the position, unsurprising for a player who was primarily a collegiate shortstop at Nebraska.
—Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
In 560 starts, Sabathia pitched at least seven innings in a ball game on 257 occasions, the most out of any starting pitcher during this period.
—Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr., Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Piper has shared moments from vacations, ball games and more on X, and even documented their engagement in August 2015.
—Jane Lacroix, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Goldschmidt played in 154 ball games last season and posted an on-base plus slugging plus (OPS+) of 98 OPS+ where 100 serves as league average while accounting for external factors such as ballparks according to Baseball-Reference.
—Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr., Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ball game
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Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
In 560 starts, Sabathia pitched at least seven innings in a ball game on 257 occasions, the most out of any starting pitcher during this period.
—Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr., Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Piper has shared moments from vacations, ball games and more on X, and even documented their engagement in August 2015.
—Jane Lacroix, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Goldschmidt played in 154 ball games last season and posted an on-base plus slugging plus (OPS+) of 98 OPS+ where 100 serves as league average while accounting for external factors such as ballparks according to Baseball-Reference.
—Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr., Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ball game
Cite this Entry
“Ball game.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ball%20game. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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