ball game

/ˈbɔːl ˌɡeɪm//ˈbɑːl ɡɛɪːm/

noun

Any game played with a ball.

“George and Harriet went to the stadium to see the ball game.”

Similar
ballgame
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Meanings

nounball game (plural ball games)

plural ball games · alternative ballgame

  1. Any game played with a ball.

    Basketball, cricket, and football are three kinds of ball game.

  2. A specific contest or match between teams playing such a game, in particular a baseball game.

    George and Harriet went to the stadium to see the ball game.

  3. historicalA sport played in the Aztec and Mayan civilizations; Mesoamerican ballgame.

    The ball game was the main sport in Central America before the arrival of the Spanish.

  4. figurativelyAffair, issue, matter, subject, story, topic.

    Think things over, Callahan. Get with it. It's a whole new ball game these days.

    1983, Joseph Stinson, Sudden Impact (motion picture), spoken by Captain Briggs (Bradford Dillman)
  5. figurativelyslangA decisive outcome in regard to some ongoing situation; game over.

    If a U.S. presidential candidate receives 270 electoral votes, that's the ball game.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna field game played with a ball (especially baseball)

Similar
ballgame
Broader
field game
Also see
kettle of fishpair of shoes

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Bulgarian топката игра
  • топката игра (topkata igra)game played with a ball
Catalan esport de pilota
  • esport de pilotagame played with a ball
Chinese Mandarin 球類 /球类, 球賽 /球赛
  • 球類 /球类 (qiúlèi yùndòng)game played with a ball
  • 球賽 /球赛 (qiúsài)specific match
  • 中美洲蹴球 (Zhōngměizhōu cùqiú)Mesoamerican ballgame
  • 事情 (shìqing)affair, issue
  • 事 (shì)affair, issue
Czech míčová hra
  • míčová hragame played with a ball
Danish boldspil
  • boldspilgame played with a ball
Dutch balspel
  • balspelgame played with a ball
Esperanto pilkludo
  • pilkludogame played with a ball
Finnish pallopeli, palloilulaji
  • pallopeligame played with a ball
  • palloilulajigame played with a ball
  • pelispecific match
  • otteluspecific match
  • matsispecific match
  • pallopeliMesoamerican ballgame
  • juttuaffair, issue
  • asiaaffair, issue
French jeu de ballon, partie de ballon
  • jeu de ballongame played with a ball
  • partie de ballonspecific match
  • jeu de balleMesoamerican ballgame
  • sujetaffair, issue
  • questionaffair, issue
  • problèmeaffair, issue
German Ballspiel
  • Ballspielgame played with a ball
Greek παιχνίδι μπάλα
  • παιχνίδι μπάλα (paichnídi bála)game played with a ball
Hungarian labdajáték
  • labdajátékgame played with a ball
Icelandic boltaíþrótt, knattleikur
  • boltaíþróttgame played with a ball
  • knattleikurgame played with a ball
Indonesian permainan bola
  • permainan bolagame played with a ball
Japanese 球技, ボールゲーム
  • 球技 (kyūgi)game played with a ball
  • ボールゲーム (bōru gēmu)game played with a ball
Korean 구기
  • 구기 (gugi)game played with a ball
Norwegian Bokmål ballspill
  • ballspillgame played with a ball
Portuguese jogo de bola, jogo de bola
  • jogo de bolagame played with a ball
  • jogo de bolaspecific match
  • jogo de bolaMesoamerican ballgame
  • paradaaffair, issue
Romanian joc cu mingea
  • joc cu mingeagame played with a ball
Russian игра́ с мячо́м, матч
  • игра́ с мячо́м (igrá s mjačóm)game played with a ball
  • матч (matč)specific match
  • игра́ (igrá)specific match
  • тла́чтли (tláčtli)Mesoamerican ballgame
Spanish juego de pelota
  • juego de pelotagame played with a ball
Swedish bollspel
  • bollspelgame played with a ball
Cite this entry
APA

ball game. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ball%20game

MLA

“ball game.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ball%20game. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ball game,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ball%20game.

Source: ball game on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.