play hardball

Idioms

Act aggressively and ruthlessly, as in It's only a month before the election, and I'm sure they'll start to play hardball. This term originated in baseball, where it alludes to using the standard ball as opposed to the slightly larger and minimally softer ball of softball. It was transferred to describe aggressive behavior only in the 1970s.

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.

See Examples For:

play hardball

As next Tuesday's transfer deadline nears, Villa will play hardball for their all-time record Premier League goalscorer.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

So, with the deal expected to close in the fall, county officials decided to play hardball.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

I doubt he expected states like Virginia to play hardball.

From Slate ● Apr. 24, 2026

“I’m not going to say, ‘oh, I’m going to play hardball with China,’” Trump said Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025

You want to play hardball, Brooklyn thought as she looked at her rival.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

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