Synonyms

drop the ball

Idioms

Make an error; miss an opportunity. For example, She really dropped the ball when she forgot to call back, or He dropped the ball, turning down their offer. This expression comes from sports where a player who fails to catch a ball is charged with an error. Its use for more general kinds of mistakes dates from about 1950.

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.

Did the Dodgers drop the ball by not providing Roman with authentication?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2024

I would like to say I have good hands and I don't drop the ball that often.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2024

“The football gods laugh at us and drop the ball in at the 1-inch line for us to go have to win the game,” coach Michael Locksley said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2023

And at the receiving end, I’d wait nervously, my hands in front of my face in the shape of an oval, knowing I’d probably drop the ball.

From Slate • Jul. 29, 2023

I wasn’t going to drop the ball on any of it.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

drop the ball

Example Sentences

Related Words