ballpark
Americannoun
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a tract of land where ball games, especially baseball, are played.
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a baseball stadium.
adjective
idioms
noun
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a stadium used for baseball games
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informal
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approximate range
in the right ballpark
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( as modifier )
a ballpark figure
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informal a situation; state of affairs
it's a whole new ballpark for him
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ballpark
Explanation
A ballpark is the area where baseball is played. When you go to the ballpark, you can sit in the stands, eat a hot dog, and cheer for your favorite team. Ballpark is an American word from the late 1800s, originally a shortened form of baseball park. The ballpark is familiar to baseball fans, their equivalent of a football stadium or a tennis court. Colloquially, you can be "in the ballpark" when you're close or within a certain range: "I'm just guessing how much that car costs, but I bet I'm in the ballpark."
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.
That’s in the same ballpark as the reading of the consumer-price index two weeks ago.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026
It's all in the same ballpark and there is other research from European countries that suggest similar drops in their trade with the UK.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
In Game 2 of the 2017 World Series, the temperature at Dodger Stadium topped 100 when the first pitch was thrown, and the ballpark was like a popcorn machine.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
The standard ballpark villages include restaurants, shops, hotels, homes, offices and entertainment venues.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
A cap from every ballpark they’d ever visited.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
