Synonyms of play ball

play ball

phrase

as in cooperate

to participate or assist in a joint effort to accomplish an end

She refused to play ball with the investigators.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cooperate
• collaborate
• team (up)
• unite
• band (together)
• concert
• make common cause
• join
• pull together
• league
• concur
• conspire
• combine
• hang together
• conjoin
• interface
• affiliate
• ally
• confederate
• connive
• associate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of play ball

Dansby Swanson then hit into a forceout at second, beating the throw to first on the would-be double-play ball that Hoerner could have scored on to tie the game. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026

Joining some teenagers playing ball at a court off Backus Lane, Sandler stayed for a quick game and then posed for pictures with the group. — Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Her third nomination could’ve been for A League of Their Own, Penny Marshall’s 1992 comedy about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League formed during World War II, but Winger ultimately decided not to play ball. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

Other nearby governments already have gotten the message to play ball. — Marie-Rose Sheinerman, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026