Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

drop the ball

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.71 in modern English

Syllables: drop the ball
IPA

19

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

1

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To fail in one's responsibilities or duties, or to make a mistake, especially at a critical point or when the result is very negative.

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see drop, ball.

Example Sentences

"The movie ought to sputter out here, but Crowe and Cruise don't drop the ball."

Etymology

An allusion to the rules of such games as baseball, American football or cricket wherein literally dropping the ball would be a mistake.

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Sports.

Inflected Forms

drops the ball (present, singular) dropping the ball (participle, present) dropped the ball (participle, past) dropped the ball (past)

Phrases

take one's eye off the ball

Frequently Paired Words

fumble take one's eye off the ball

Synonyms

fall on one's face fuck up screw the pooch sin blunder boob goof

Questions

What does drop the ball mean?: To fail in one's responsibilities or duties, or to make a mistake, especially at a critical point or when the result is very negative.
Where does drop the ball come from?: An allusion to the rules of such games as baseball, American football or cricket wherein literally dropping the ball would be a mistake.

How to pronounce drop the ball

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