play ball

phrase

Synonyms of play ballnext
: cooperate

Examples of play ball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Any hope that Farage had that the Clacton campaign would be similarly positive for him was dashed when the other political parties failed to play ball and he was left standing against the likes of Count Binface. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 Caitlin Clark is one of the few star athletes in America today who just wants to play ball. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026 It was intended to force from-the-gun attacks but riders just didn’t play ball, waiting for their teammates to catch up. — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 19 July 2026 Dansby Swanson then hit into a forceout at second, beating the throw to first on the would-be double-play ball that Hoerner could have scored on to tie the game. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for play ball

Rhymes for play ball

See All Rhymes for play ball

Browse Nearby Words

play back
play ball
playbill
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Play ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20ball. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on play ball

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for play ball

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All