play ball

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This is playoff basketball — grow up and play ball.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

"And they'd all got the memo to play ball and deliver an opening episode full of sizzling chemistry, cheeky banter and decent anecdotes," she wrote.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Current and former officials said that Russia’s increasing reliance on China means Beijing could play a productive role in bringing Putin to any peace deal—if Trump can convince it to play ball, that is.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

He added that “If…universities do not play ball, lawyer up, because the federal government is coming after you.”

From Salon • May 20, 2025

And second of all, I saw you play ball, yo.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña