1
as in rivalries
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
I'm still in this ball game, so don't count me out yet
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ball games
At least not as long as the Knicks are winning ball games.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
From sports and ball games to jewelry-making and creative workshops, there is something to delight every child.
—Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 1 Dec. 2025
Under the old policy, alcohol sales were still prohibited during Burleson Youth Association ball games or practices.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Nov. 2025
After approval from church leadership, chairwoman Lisa Stocco infused the event with more than 20 Gophers football players serving as guest pitchers and coaches for the event’s centerpiece whiffle ball games.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
There have been 74 pitchers who have started at least 440 ball games since 1920, and Kershaw is the only one who hasn’t surpassed triple-digit losses according to Baseball-Reference.
—Wayne G. McDonnell, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
To start, there are no bicycles or ball games, no mirrors larger than the palm of one’s hand, and almost no personal property.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
From sports and ball games to jewelry-making and creative workshops, there is something to delight every child.
—Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 1 Dec. 2025
Under the old policy, alcohol sales were still prohibited during Burleson Youth Association ball games or practices.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Nov. 2025
After approval from church leadership, chairwoman Lisa Stocco infused the event with more than 20 Gophers football players serving as guest pitchers and coaches for the event’s centerpiece whiffle ball games.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
There have been 74 pitchers who have started at least 440 ball games since 1920, and Kershaw is the only one who hasn’t surpassed triple-digit losses according to Baseball-Reference.
—Wayne G. McDonnell, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
To start, there are no bicycles or ball games, no mirrors larger than the palm of one’s hand, and almost no personal property.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ball games
Noun
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As a 10-time world champion who’s entering her fifth, and final, Winter Olympics, American hockey star Hilary Knight, 35, has played a key role in energizing one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The sport was built on rivalries.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The sense is the Panthers would bring Rozeboom back at the right price, while trying to limit his exposure in passing situations.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Designed for sports, workouts, and outdoor activities, including extreme situations like chasing a departing plane, the glasses feature a smart camera, immersive audio, and built-in Meta AI for everyday performance.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While earlier phases of the Bay-Delta plan have already been litigated, much of the recent focus has been on lengthy negotiations and revisions to the plan, rather than on launching new courtroom battles.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The beef, which started in 1999, has spawned almost three decades of diss tracks and battles in real life and on social media.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Younger shoppers are using chatbots for comparison shopping, finding deals, summarizing product reviews, and generating shopping lists.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
But economists warn that such projects typically are bad deals for taxpayers, because stadiums are closed most of the time, generate only temporary or part-time jobs, and largely take away spending from other types of entertainment.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Starmer faces mounting pressure from Labor MPs over his judgment, with his premiership now in jeopardy amid broader government struggles and poor polling.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The 2025 August slide from the Padre with the biggest contract was especially unfortunate as the Padres (16-12 in August) were unable to fully capitalize on the Dodgers’ struggles (15-13 in August) to overtake them in the NL West.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Deuxmoi showed pictures of McRae and Hughes dining at Anton’s in the West Village the month prior.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
In these 2-foot-square pictures, long-haired nude female figures in close Edenic companionship with wild beasts poke their heads out from behind lush tropical foliage, and stare, unsettlingly, straight outward.—
Benjamin Lima,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The area, with an altitude of nearly 6,000 feet, plays host to all freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions and has three hotels that were transformed into an Olympic village.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
12 Feb. 2026
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The most obvious competitions look to be for the final roster spots in the bullpen and the outfield.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That didn’t mean being blasé about the risks, but if the prototype for a centre-forward was Roberto Firmino rather than Andy Carroll, teams would adjust accordingly and aerial duels would be contested less regularly.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Canada has won four of the six Olympics championship duels with its southern neighbors, with the 2006 victory giving the country five overall Olympic women’s hockey golds.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ball games.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ball%20games. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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