DROP THE BALL Definition & Meaning

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drop the ball

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Idioms and Phrases

Make an error; miss an opportunity. For example, She really dropped the ball when she forgot to call back , or He dropped the ball, turning down their offer . This expression comes from sports where a player who fails to catch a ball is charged with an error. Its use for more general kinds of mistakes dates from about 1950.

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Example Sentences

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In five seconds, from five vantage points, Judge drops the ball five times.

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Moments later at the other end, Marshall dropped the ball as he dived for the corner - but once Wigan did score then a flurry of points followed either side of half-time.

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Hull KR winger Burgess, who had dropped the ball in a similar position moments before, opened the scoring after 17 minutes when he dived in at the corner following good work from Lewis.

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鈥淭hat wasn鈥檛 the case. It wasn鈥檛, 鈥楬ey, we dropped the ball, we were late,鈥欌€� he said.

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Even in the drizzle of a rainy day, the quarterback was dropping the ball right into the hands of his receivers.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 漏 Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage庐 Idioms Dictionary copyright 漏 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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