ball game

American  

Or ballgame

noun

• ball games
  plural

1. any game played with a ball, especially baseball or softball.

2. Informal. a situation and all its attendant circumstances.

   Having a new administration in power changes the entire ball game at city hall.

3. 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.

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ball game British  

noun

1. any game played with a ball

2. a game of baseball

3. informal a situation; state of affairs (esp in the phrase a whole new ball game )

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ball games
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ball game

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ball game

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

Selling homes is a whole different ball game, and you have to bring something to the table.”

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026

"I didn't want to lose the opportunity to play Venus, but it's a whole different ball game playing Jess," Jones said.

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

That, to be blunt, is the whole ball game.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025

We batted and threw the ball around, and it was warm and sunny, and there was the smooth, happy feeling of the summer soon to come, and the tight excitement of the ball game.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok