ball game
Americannoun
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ball games
plural
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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 )
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Minutes into the climb, the plebes roll their T-shirts up and throw them, like emcees at a ball game, toward the base of the monument, where other midshipmen use them to wipe off the grease.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 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
Max Williamson held up, Italy ball, game over.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2026
In the third or fourth inning of our ball game that afternoon, I spotted Mary Hudson from first base.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
