Meanings
- derogatoryhumorousinformaluncountableA supposed game consisting of pedantic legal wrangling.
If your attorney and the city's attorney wrestle control of the negotiating process away from you, they will immediately start playing "lawyerball."
2007, Ronald J York, The Police Negotiator's Handbook2 more examples
I think this answers your question. It is sufficiently vague enough that it doesn't answer your question *specifically* if you're playing lawyerball, but I think the meaning is clear.
1998, Eddie Auerbach, “Rules Question: Straddling Foul Line OK?”, in rec.sport.baseball (Usenet)...Ashcroft/Carnahan is now 50/50, and the bulk of the MO vote is from St. Louis. All hail the dead man! (Should be an interesting court battle, although the Republicans ought to accept the popular will and not play lawyerball).
2000, Steve Ferra, “(NBC) Turning away from FL for a minute...”, in rec.music.artists.springsteen (Usenet)
Origin
From lawyer + ball, after the names of sports such as football and basketball.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Swedish paragrafrytteri
- paragrafrytterisupposed legal games
Cite this entry
lawyerball. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lawyerball
“lawyerball.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lawyerball. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lawyerball,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lawyerball.
Source: lawyerball on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.