political football
noun
: an issue that politicians argue about and try to use for their advantage
This issue is too important to be treated as a political football.
Examples of political football in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This approach is fiscally prudent and seeks to avoid the SBR becoming a political football, as the use of taxpayer funds to accumulate a volatile asset could open the administration to criticism about the use of taxpayer funds for something that most Americans don’t fully understand.
—
Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Newsom holds the ultimate trump card in their case, with the ability to grant clemency to the brothers whose case became a political football and was passed from one district attorney to another, becoming at-risk of becoming a victim of ongoing culture wars.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2025
And the fact that desperately needed food and medicine has been made into a political football says as much about this moment as anything.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
That wasn’t the case in Philadelphia, where Kingery turned into something of a political football — the root cause of his offensive decline and subsequent lack of opportunities becoming a constant topic of conversation.
—Sam Blum, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for political football
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Newsom holds the ultimate trump card in their case, with the ability to grant clemency to the brothers whose case became a political football and was passed from one district attorney to another, becoming at-risk of becoming a victim of ongoing culture wars.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2025
And the fact that desperately needed food and medicine has been made into a political football says as much about this moment as anything.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
That wasn’t the case in Philadelphia, where Kingery turned into something of a political football — the root cause of his offensive decline and subsequent lack of opportunities becoming a constant topic of conversation.
—Sam Blum, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for political football
Cite this Entry
“Political football.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/political%20football. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share