play ball
Idioms-
Cooperate, as in The opposing attorneys refused to play ball with us . [ Slang ; c. 1900]
-
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.
It’s also big enough for basketball games, and Brundo recently painted a full court on the asphalt so singer The Weeknd could play ball during downtime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
You’ve got to play games, or you’ve got to play ball with them.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
Now, if only the energy gods would also play ball by keeping the lights on for the matches.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
As the chopper circled Miami, the cameraman explained the purpose of the shoot: “Everybody and their mama wants to know where he’s going to play ball next year.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
“Is this...your thing? Art festivals in parks? Like, how come you don't go to the park to play ball or something?”
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
