hardball
noun
hard·ball
ˈhärd-ˌbȯl 
1
: baseball
2
: forceful uncompromising methods employed to gain an end
played political hardball
Examples of hardball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But on Tuesday, Senate Democrats were throwing hardballs at Attorney General Pam Bondi, and CNN and MSNBC were covering it live, and then the evening newscasts all ran stories.
—
Tim Graham, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Koreans, angered by images of their countrymen shackled by ICE, may choose to play hardball and continue withholding their investments.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
There are also defensive considerations — and those, no doubt, are part of why Toronto played hardball in the Marner sign-and-trade, eventually returning Nicolas Roy from Vegas.
—The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
All four teams appear to be playing hardball because the league's salary-cap landscape gives them most of the leverage.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardball
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tim Graham, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Koreans, angered by images of their countrymen shackled by ICE, may choose to play hardball and continue withholding their investments.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
There are also defensive considerations — and those, no doubt, are part of why Toronto played hardball in the Marner sign-and-trade, eventually returning Nicolas Roy from Vegas.
—The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
All four teams appear to be playing hardball because the league's salary-cap landscape gives them most of the leverage.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardball
Cite this Entry
“Hardball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hardball. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share