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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.

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

He’s able to carry the ball 29, 28, 27 times.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2024

Yes he was explosive, but he also possessed technique as well as vision and delighted with his ability to carry the ball in attack.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2023

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

Since Dad went to church only if one of us was being christened—in other words, about once a year—Mother had to carry the ball when it came to enrolling us in Sunday school.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

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.