hardball

noun

hard·​ball ˈhärd-ˌbȯl How to pronounce hardball (audio)
1
2
: forceful uncompromising methods employed to gain an end
played political hardball

Examples of hardball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Despite its use as a hardball negotiating tactic by aggressive developers, no project has broken ground, much less finished, as a result of the builder’s remedy. Calmatters, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024 On the other hand, governments such as China that adopted a hardball negotiating stance were often able to do business with Trump to their benefit. Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024 What will be the outcome of Washington State president Kirk Schulz playing hardball with the College Football Playoff board of managers? Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024 And Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey showed there’s a learning curve to political hardball. John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hardball 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hardball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hardball was in 1857

Dictionary Entries Near hardball

Cite this Entry

“Hardball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hardball. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

hardball

noun
hard·​ball -ˌbȯl How to pronounce hardball (audio)
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