ballgame
|ball-game|
🇺🇸
/ˈbɔlˌɡeɪm/
🇬🇧
/ˈbɔːlˌɡeɪm/
a game played with a ball / a different situation
Etymology
'ballgame' is a compound of English 'ball' and 'game'; 'ball' originates (via Old Norse) from 'bollr' meaning 'a round object used in play', and 'game' originates from Old English 'gamen' meaning 'joy, amusement'.
'ball' came into English from Old Norse 'bollr' (and related Germanic forms), 'game' from Old English 'gamen'; the compound 'ballgame' arose in Modern English (notably in the 18th–19th centuries) to refer specifically to matches played with a ball and was reinforced by the rise of organized sports such as baseball.
Initially it referred straightforwardly to a match or contest played with a ball; over time it also developed a figurative use to mean a different situation or set of circumstances ('that's another ballgame').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a sporting event or match played with a ball (e.g., baseball, soccer, football).
We went to the ballgame on Saturday to watch the home team play.
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Noun 2
informal: a situation, matter, or set of circumstances (often used in the phrase 'that's another ballgame' to mean a completely different situation).
If we get the funding, that's another ballgame — we can expand the project.
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Idioms
Last updated: 2026/01/06 12:54