ball game
noun/ˈbɔːl ˌɡeɪm/ · /ˈbɑːl ɡɛɪːm/
1
Any game played with a ball.
- Basketball, cricket, and football are three kinds of ball game.
2
A specific contest or match between teams playing such a game, in particular a baseball game.
- George and Harriet went to the stadium to see the ball game.
3
Historical A sport played in the Aztec and Mayan civilizations; Mesoamerican ballgame.
- The ball game was the main sport in Central America before the arrival of the Spanish.
4
Figuratively Affair, issue, matter, subject, story, topic.
- Think things over, Callahan. Get with it. It's a whole new ball game these days.1983, Joseph Stinson, Sudden Impact (motion picture), spoken by Captain Briggs (Bradford Dillman):
5
Figuratively, Slang A decisive outcome in regard to some ongoing situation; game over.
- If a U.S. presidential candidate receives 270 electoral votes, that's the ball game.