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
Unfortunately, that market could continue to be a political football.
—
Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Everyone wants to use it as a political football.
—Darvio Morrow, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
The spectacle has also become a political football during the mayor’s race this fall, prompting commentary from Cincinnati Republican mayoral candidate Cory Bowman, Elon Musk and prominent social media accounts like Libs of TikTok.
—Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 5 Aug. 2025
A bit of political football: Trump’s ability to unilaterally scrap the team's deal for a new stadium appears doubtful after Congress passed a law in December that transferred ownership of the stadium site from the National Park Service to the District of Columbia.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for political football
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Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Everyone wants to use it as a political football.
—Darvio Morrow, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
The spectacle has also become a political football during the mayor’s race this fall, prompting commentary from Cincinnati Republican mayoral candidate Cory Bowman, Elon Musk and prominent social media accounts like Libs of TikTok.
—Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 5 Aug. 2025
A bit of political football: Trump’s ability to unilaterally scrap the team's deal for a new stadium appears doubtful after Congress passed a law in December that transferred ownership of the stadium site from the National Park Service to the District of Columbia.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 22 July 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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