ball game
noun
variants
or ballgame
plural ball games or ballgames
1
: a game played with a ball
We have to take care of the basketball. If you don't have the basketball it's hard to win a ball game.—
LaToya Bennett, quoted in The Huntsville (Texas) Item
LaToya Bennett, quoted in The Huntsville (Texas) Item… returned a punt for a touchdown in the first half of the football game to help Georgia earn their first points of the ball game.—Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams
especially, US
: a baseball game
… Lyons was thrown out trying to steal third to end the ball game … —Mark Starr
Mark Starr 2
informal
a
: a set of circumstances : situation
Driving in Britain is a different ball game.—Robert Lacville
Robert Lacville… once that blaze surged across the river, it would be a whole new ball game.—Jeffrey J. Smith
Jeffrey J. Smith
b
: contest sense 1
… on Mar. 17, the candidates must stagger to high-stakes caucuses in Michigan, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Kentucky. The ball game could be over by Mar. 20 …—Business Week
Business WeekExamples of ball game in a Sentence
He was popular because he was good at ball games.
Dad took us to a ball game.
watching a ball game on TV
Recent Examples on the Web
Kelsey Plum #10 of the Los Angeles Sparks dribbles the ball up court against the Golden State Valkyries in the first half of a WNBA basket ball game at Chase Center on May 06, 2025 in San Francisco, California.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 May 2025
Commuter Boat non-work trip: Heading to Boston for dining, a museum day, a ball game or something else?
—Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 25 May 2025
The data here is pretty clear: More than 6 million people tuned in to watch a great Knicks-Celtics ball game.
—Harry Enten, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
The goal then, is not too dissimilar from what the architects of baseball’s modern rules had in mind: The same beloved ball game, just a little bit snappier.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ball game
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 May 2025
Commuter Boat non-work trip: Heading to Boston for dining, a museum day, a ball game or something else?
—Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 25 May 2025
The data here is pretty clear: More than 6 million people tuned in to watch a great Knicks-Celtics ball game.
—Harry Enten, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
The goal then, is not too dissimilar from what the architects of baseball’s modern rules had in mind: The same beloved ball game, just a little bit snappier.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ball game
Cite this Entry
“Ball game.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ball%20game. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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