play ball
Idioms-
Cooperate, as in The opposing attorneys refused to play ball with us . [ Slang ; c. 1900]
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Get going, start, as in It's time to get a move on; let's play ball . This usage comes from the baseball umpire's call to start a game. [ Slang ; late 1800s]
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.
You’ve got to play games, or you’ve got to play ball with them.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
Yet many African nations were willing to play ball with the US tightening visas worldwide, the two ex-State Department officials said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Current and former officials said that Russia’s increasing reliance on China means Beijing could play a productive role in bringing Putin to any peace deal—if Trump can convince it to play ball, that is.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
Those advising him warned him to play ball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
Watching Rondell play ball was like watching those seagulls fly through rain.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
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.
