on the ball

phrase

1

: competent, knowledgeable, alert

… the other introductory essay … is much more on the ball.

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

keep on the ball

2

: of ability or competence

… if the teacher has something on the ball, the pupils won't squirm much …

—New Yorker

Examples of on the ball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the next 30 minutes, Sporting KC showed calm decision-making on the ball and a level of fight that frankly hadn’t been seen in a while. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026

In Shot Mode, the gimbal automatically locates and focuses on the ball, with a solid green LED and confirmation sound indicating when the system is ready to record. — New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026

But there have been few dangerous Gusto deliveries across six appearances this season, and opponents seem to respect his attacking threat on the ball less than ever. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for on the ball

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• gossypol