ball game
or ball·game
noun
any game played with a ball, especially baseball or softball.
Informal.
a situation and all its attendant circumstances: Having a new administration in power changes the entire ball game at city hall.
Compare new ball game.
Archaeology.
a ceremonial game of both ritual and sporting significance, played by teams on a ball court in Mesoamerican cultures from the Preclassic period to the Spanish conquest.
Origin of ball game
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
Words nearby ball game
ball club,
ball cock,
ball control,
ball fern,
ball foot,
ball game,
ball girl,
ball handling,
ball hawk,
ball hockey,
ball ice
Example sentences from the Web for ball game
British Dictionary definitions for ball game
ball game
noun
any game played with a ball
US and Canadian
a game of baseball
informal
a situation; state of affairs (esp in the phrase a whole new ball game)