leave the ball in someone's court
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.18 in modern English
39
Scrabble Score
27
Letters
5
Syllables
15
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To hand over the responsibility or choice to someone to make a decision or take action about something.
Example Sentences
- "His statement also left the ball in the Security Council’s court, for it is scheduled to discuss the report in August. Saudi Arabia has powerful backers on the Council, including the United States."
- "The no-nonsense matriarch paid a visit to Cindy’s grandmother Julie (Lesley Manville), alluding to how they had once been friends and noting that both families were misfits – the shady crooks and “the angry strikers in a town full of scabs”. After giving her blessing to the young couple, she left the ball in a shellshocked Julie’s court."
- "Postecoglou had revealed on Friday that Kane’s move was “imminent” after a breakthrough in negotiations between the clubs was reached on Wednesday night. It left the ball in Kane’s court and he decided on Thursday to leave his boyhood club for Bayern, who will pay an initial £100m with add-ons potentially taking the deal up to an overall fee of £120m."