hardball
noun
hard·ball
| \ ˈhärd-ˌbȯl
\
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Definition of hardball
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
Flash-mob protests across the territory have led to a sharp increase in violence, with hardball tactics employed both by anti-government demonstrators and police. — The Economist, "Is Hong Kong moving closer to the abyss that its leaders warn about?," 17 Aug. 2019 Opponents also accuse the company of using hardball tactics and intimidation to force reluctant landowners to sign easements, and specifically targeting vulnerable and elderly landowners with threats of eminent domain. — oregonlive.com, "Jordan Cove LNG backers claim high support from landowners for pipeline," 26 June 2019 Yet Republicans such as McConnell have more recently been in control and ready to play hardball, partly as retribution for Bork and Estrada. — Joan Biskupic, Washington Post, "The partisan players transforming the Supreme Court," 21 June 2019 As a professional sports gambler, his hardball tactics of vacuuming up the highest-value clues and wagering huge amounts on Daily Double and Final Jeopardy became must-see TV. — Emily Yahr, chicagotribune.com, "'Jeopardy!' producer: 'Appropriate' action planned in leak of James Holzhauer's loss," 4 June 2019 Trump added a new and explosive factor, by splitting children who arrived with adults — a hardball tactic to deter other immigrants from making the dangerous journey across the border. — Alex Leary And Steve Bousquet, miamiherald, "Who's holding immigrants in Florida? Private vendors, feds and county sheriffs, too.," 29 June 2018 Some companies have used hardball tactics to get patients to pay, including harassing phone calls, hiring debt collectors and placing liens on houses, media investigations have found. — Rebekah L. Sanders, azcentral, "Arizona family shocked by $47,000 air ambulance bill for their child," 25 June 2018 Trump’s team could attempt similar hardball tactics with Mueller to extract concessions from the special counsel’s office and then ultimately agree to an interview of some kind with him. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "United States v. Trump," 6 June 2018 Microsoft was, the government said, a rapacious, unrepentant monopolist whose hardball tactics undermined competition and innovation. — Tom Simonite, WIRED, "Big Tech Trades Splashy Conference Demos for Introspection," 31 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hardball.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for hardball
hardball
noun
English Language Learners Definition of hardball
chiefly US, informal
: forceful and sometimes dishonest methods used to get something you want
See the full definition for hardball in the English Language Learners Dictionary