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

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drop the ball

Like, when you’re being aggressive, you’re driving to the basket, you drop the ball off and they steal it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024

But if he receives a second chance at a game-changing pick-six, don’t expect him to drop the ball.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

Take a point, or hope Norway would drop the ball in Cyprus.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2023

"Governments cannot drop the ball," Van Kerkhove said, adding that the coronavirus continues to circulate, evolve, infect and kill people.

From Reuters ● Aug. 24, 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

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