ball game
Americannoun
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any game played with a ball, especially baseball or softball.
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Informal. a situation and all its attendant circumstances.
Having a new administration in power changes the entire ball game at city hall.
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Archaeology. a ceremonial game of both ritual and sporting significance, played by teams on a ball court in Mesoamerican cultures from the Preclassic period to the Spanish conquest.
noun
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any game played with a ball
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a game of baseball
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informal a situation; state of affairs (esp in the phrase a whole new ball game )
Etymology
Origin of ball game
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But teaming up for a full 39-day tournament is likely to be a different ball game.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
The removal of the flesh-and-blood element in something so human as a ball game will be pitched as a great stride forward, but it’s actually a major loss.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
Selling homes is a whole different ball game, and you have to bring something to the table.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
“We work all year long to be in this situation to win a ball game and win a World Series. So it should be a fun one tomorrow.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025
It’s one thing to step on them or jump out of their way when you’re walking by them, but it’s a totally different ball game to have to sleep among them.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
