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
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are taking their family out to the ball game.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2025
Bregman’s last appearance in a ball game this season was on May 23rd after sustaining a right quad strain against the Baltimore Orioles.
—Wayne G. McDonnell, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
The annual holiday celebrating all things dad is a great day to spend barbecuing, going to a ball game or just hanging out on the couch with the old man, binge-watching a show that has his very same vibes.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 14 June 2025
He might not be acquired to be a closer, but a team like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox could use another righty to slot in during the seventh or eighth inning of close ball games.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ball game
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2025
Bregman’s last appearance in a ball game this season was on May 23rd after sustaining a right quad strain against the Baltimore Orioles.
—Wayne G. McDonnell, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
The annual holiday celebrating all things dad is a great day to spend barbecuing, going to a ball game or just hanging out on the couch with the old man, binge-watching a show that has his very same vibes.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 14 June 2025
He might not be acquired to be a closer, but a team like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox could use another righty to slot in during the seventh or eighth inning of close ball games.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 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 21 Jul. 2025.
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