Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
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- [drop stressed th ee bawl]
- /drɒp stressed ði bɔl/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [drop stressed th ee bawl]
- /drɒp stressed ði bɔl/
Definitions of drop the ball words
- noun drop the ball a spherical or approximately spherical body or shape; sphere: He rolled the piece of paper into a ball. 1
- noun drop the ball a round or roundish body, of various sizes and materials, either hollow or solid, for use in games, as baseball, football, tennis, or golf. 1
- noun drop the ball a game played with a ball, especially baseball: The boys are out playing ball. 1
- noun drop the ball Baseball. a pitched ball, not swung at by the batter, that does not pass over home plate between the batter's shoulders and knees. 1
- noun drop the ball Military. a solid, usually spherical projectile for a cannon, rifle, pistol, etc., as distinguished from a shell. projectiles, especially bullets, collectively. 1
- noun drop the ball any part of a thing, especially of the human body, that is rounded or protuberant: the ball of the thumb. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of drop the ball
First appearance:
before 1175 One of the 8% oldest English words
1175-1225; Middle English bal, balle < Old French < Germanic *ballaz; compare Old Norse bǫllr, Old High German bal, ballo, balla, German Ball, Dutch bal; perhaps akin to Latin follis leather bag; see ballock(s)
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Drop the ball
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
drop the ball popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
drop the ball usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for drop the ball
verb drop the ball
- bumble — to speak or do in a clumsy, muddled, or inefficient way
- bungle — If you bungle something, you fail to do it properly, because you make mistakes or are clumsy.
- flounder — to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements (usually followed by about, along, on, through, etc.): He saw the child floundering about in the water.
- blow — When a wind or breeze blows, the air moves.
- botch — If you botch something that you are doing, you do it badly or clumsily.
Antonyms for drop the ball
verb drop the ball
- do well — be successful
- succeed — to happen or terminate according to desire; turn out successfully; have the desired result: Our efforts succeeded.
- correct — If something is correct, it is in accordance with the facts and has no mistakes.
- fix — to repair; mend.
- restore — to bring back into existence, use, or the like; reestablish: to restore order.
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with d
- Words starting with dr
- Words starting with dro
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- Words starting with dropth
- Words starting with dropthe
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- Words starting with droptheba
- Words starting with dropthebal
- Words starting with droptheball