Synonyms

carry the ball

Idioms

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.

See Examples For:

carry the ball

When USC was without its top two backs for the Las Vegas Bowl in December, Jackson stepped in to carry the ball 16 times for 66 yards and a touchdown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2025

Botterman's scrummaging has improved under Mitchell to earn a regular starting spot, but it is her ability to make turnovers and carry the ball into heavy traffic that are her foremost strengths.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025

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

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2025

The former Atletico Madrid forward's ability to carry the ball often results in a chance created.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2025

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