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
… 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
especially, US : a baseball game
… Lyons was thrown out trying to steal third to end the ball gameMark Starr
2
informal
a
: a set of circumstances : situation
Driving in Britain is a different ball game.Robert Lacville
… once that blaze surged across the river, it would be a whole new ball game.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

Examples 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
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.
That was the ball game, as Desmond Ridder replaced O’Connell, and the Buccaneers scored two touchdowns late when the defense ran out of gas. Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024 That's the ball game and that's what the Harris campaign is doing. ABC News, 27 Oct. 2024 In seven major league seasons, Burnes has started 138 ball games over 199 appearances. Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr., Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024 Meet Charlotte's romance book store on wheels Take me out to the ball game Charlotte FC plays its inaugural home playoff match Friday, Nov. 1, at Bank of America Stadium. Ashley Mahoney, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ball game 

Word History

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ball game was in 1760

Dictionary Entries Near ball game

Cite this Entry

“Ball game.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ball%20game. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

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