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 )
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.
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
Because I think if we fall short of that, that’s the end of the ball game.
From Slate • Oct. 15, 2025
Instead, a half-inning later, the Marlins made it a brand new ball game.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2025
They were, as Ralph thought of it, “going up,” every day, with just enough time to take in an occasional movie or ball game, and to be glad that Mona and Callie were happy.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
