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Synonyms

carry the ball

Idioms  

  1. Take charge, advance a cause, as in In our lab any of the assistants can carry the ball. This usage comes from such sports as football, where the ball-carrying player gives the team yardage or a touchdown. By the early 1900s it was being transferred to other endeavors.

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.

She likes to carry the ball past players and get in the box.

From BBC • Jul. 16, 2025

Rookie Blake Corum, a third-round pick who did not carry the ball against the Lions, rushed for 28 yards in eight carries.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2024

But an opportunist kick from Theo Dan gave Saracens the advantage, forcing Redpath to chase back and carry the ball over the line to gift them a scrum five metres out.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2024

Expect to see more opportunities for Vaki next weekend at USC … because who wouldn’t want to carry the ball against USC?

From Seattle Times • Oct. 15, 2023

This time, however, Francis did not carry the ball and on subsequent days maintained that the evidence for a TMV helix was only so-so.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

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.