hardball
Americannoun
adjective
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tough or ruthless.
He wasn't ready for the hardball politics of Washington.
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outspoken, challenging, or difficult.
Reporters asked the president some hardball questions.
idioms
noun
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baseball as distinct from softball
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informal to act in a ruthless or uncompromising way
Etymology
Origin of hardball
Explanation
If you want to play hardball, you’re not messing around. You’re a shrewd negotiator and you’ll do anything to get what you want. Or maybe you just want to play baseball, which is also known as hardball. You can use the slightly old-fashioned hardball for this all-American sport, particularly to distinguish it from softball, which is played with similar rules but a larger, slightly softer ball. You can also use the word informally to mean "ruthless methods." So if a businessperson, politician, or journalist plays hardball, they’re being super competitive and try to win at all costs.
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.
I doubt he expected states like Virginia to play hardball.
From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026
Iran is “playing hardball here because they believe that they have the upper hand,” said Ali Vaez, the Iran project director of the Crisis Group, a conflict-resolution organization.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
In a statement, Danbury Parish Council said "no adult hardball cricket" could be played at the venue "for the foreseeable future".
From BBC • Oct. 1, 2025
“It’s not about whether we play hardball anymore. It’s about how we play hardball,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said on a press call Wednesday.
From Salon • Aug. 20, 2025
Now that the issue was in the works and Belmont was moving forward, Howard sensed that it was time to play hardball.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
