play ball
The phrase "play ball" originated from baseball and has since evolved into an idiom used in various contexts to indicate cooperation or initiation of an activity.
Definition
B2General
(idiomatic, informal)To agree to cooperate or participate in a plan or activity.
Example
- If you play ball with us, we can reach a better agreement.
- The negotiations went smoothly once both parties decided to play ball.
B1Sports
(baseball, softball)An expression used to start or resume a game.
Example
- The umpire shouted 'play ball!' to signal the beginning of the game.
- After the rain delay, the teams were eager to play ball again.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "play ball":
ball gamemake a playball outplay intake the fieldfree ballplay the ball and not the manball downreturn ballgo to batadvance the ballnew ballplay onplay atball offball upcall balls and strikescaptain ballno ballplay hardballplay the man and not the ballplay togame ballcome to batdrop the ballup to batfly ballbat aroundjump ballon the ballplay withlong ballplay the fieldplain ballplay to winwhite ballsquare ballhit a home runhide the ballballs aboutplay alonghidden-ball tricktee offpitch outsports gameplay arounddouble playkick aroundgame onswing for the fencesplay the anglesballs uphit one out of the ballparkplaying fieldin playget to first baseground ballteam sporttee upat batat playleave it all on the fieldplay it straightbig leaguehit the ball twicered ballbowl upkick itswing for