hardball

[ hahrd-bawl ]

/ ˈhɑrdˌbɔl /

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noun

baseball, as distinguished from softball.

adjective

tough or ruthless: He wasn't ready for the hardball politics of Washington.

outspoken, challenging, or difficult: Reporters asked the president some hardball questions.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about hardball

play hardball, to act or work aggressively, competitively, or ruthlessly, as in business or politics.

Origin of hardball

First recorded in 1825–35; hard + ball¹

Words nearby hardball

hard as nails, hard-ass, hard-asset, hardback, hardbake, hardball, hard bargain, hard-bill, hard-bitten, hardboard, hardbody

How to use hardball in a sentence

What determines how many appointments a president gets is a combination of pure luck and partisan hardball.
I Spent 7 Months Studying Supreme Court Reform. We Need to Pack the Court Now|Kermit Roosevelt III|December 10, 2021|Time
They used hardball tactics to push through a map for Oregon that eliminates one highly competitive seat and adds two Democratic-leaning seats.
Redistricting Has Maintained The Status Quo So Far. That’s Good For Republicans.|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|December 2, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Last week on Hardball, Kathleen Parker said he is definitely running.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Jeb Bush Can’t Beat Hillary Clinton|Michael Tomasky|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scott Simkus bemusingly explores it all in Outsider Baseball: The Weird World of Hardball on the Fringe, 1876—1950.
Home Runs, Frozen Ropes, And Some Wild Cards In Best Baseball Books|Robert Birnbaum|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In any case, the healthy sampling below confirms the narrative-friendly qualities of hardball.
Home Runs, Frozen Ropes, And Some Wild Cards In Best Baseball Books|Robert Birnbaum|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Will the Democrats engage in an aggressive, hardball type strategy?
Dems Need to Channel ‘House of Cards’’ Frank Underwood|Dean Obeidallah|March 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Transfixingly candid and gamely stepping up to the plate for a round of hardball, Lohan seemed to be answering yes.
Oprah’s Lindsay Lohan Interview Settles It: Lohan’s Comeback Is Real|Kevin Fallon|August 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for hardball

hardball

/ (ˈhɑːdbɔːl) /

noun

US and Canadian baseball as distinct from softball

play hardball informal, mainly US and Canadian to act in a ruthless or uncompromising way

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hardball

Idioms about hardball

Origin of hardball

Words nearby hardball

Words related to hardball

How to use hardball in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hardball