Meanings
present singular third person plays hardball · participle present playing hardball · participle past played hardball · past played hardball
- idiomaticinformalTo use every means possible to achieve a goal, especially in disregarding the harm caused.
He was more than willing to extend the terms of the loan, but his boss decided to play hardball and demanded a balloon payment.
- idiomaticinformalTo act rough and ruthless, especially in business or politics.
So you wanna play hardball?
1 more example
But if ministers keep on playing hardball with TfL because of narrow party interests, London will lose out. Forcing a 4.8% rise on London fares will only encourage congestion at a time when the roads are already full and public transport is underused.
2021 October 6, Christian Wolmar, “Both sides must work together to get London back on track”, in RAIL, number 941, page 35
Origin
From the American sport of baseball; the hardball is the heavier and harder type of the two types of throwing ball used when playing that sport (i.e. softball).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish iść po trupach, pójść po trupach
- iść po trupachTranslations
- pójść po trupachTranslations
Spanish jugar duro
- jugar duroTranslations
Swedish sätta hårt mot hårt
- sätta hårt mot hårtTranslations
Cite this entry
play hardball. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20hardball
“play hardball.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20hardball. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “play hardball,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20hardball.
Source: play hardball on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.