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have a ball
Idioms and Phrases
Enjoy oneself enormously, as in It was a great tripâI had a ball . This idiom uses the noun ball in the sense of âa gala dance.â [ Slang ; 1920s]Example Sentences
âI just have a ball! Itâs time I spend with myself, being creative,â he adds.
âItâs nothing scandalous, but weâre having a ball with this. The media, their heads are exploding. âWhat is the secret?ââ
At that time, Greg Matus said his son was âobviously upsetâ and âdisappointed that he had a ball in his hands and some guy took it away from him.â
He had watched the 2013 Six Nations from his hospital bed and having a ball in his hands again instantly felt natural.
The Democrats had a ball trolling Trump and reclaiming the nation for decency, democracy, and the American way.
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More About Have A Ball
What does have a ball mean?
Have a ball is a figurative phrase that means to enjoy oneself greatly, as in My kids love Disneyland, so they will have a ball when we go there this summer.Â
Generally, youâll use have a ball while youâre enjoying yourself, so youâll say that youâre having a ball. But you can also use the phrase when youâre looking forward to an activity (Weâll have a ball at the arcades!) or later, when the event is over (We had a ball at the pool today.)
A literal sense of have a ball means to hold a ball or have control over a ball, as in Maddie scored a lot of goals during the soccer game because she had the ball a lot. As youâd imagine, this sense is less common.
Example: Anita had a ball at laser tag and canât wait to play again.
Where does have a ball come from?
The first records of the phrase have a ball come from around 1879. It comes from American slang. The word ball is used in the sense of a fancy party with dancing, such as the one attended by Cinderella.
Have a ball is more likely to be used in informal writing and speech, such as social media posts, or less serious news reports. The phrases have fun or enjoy oneself are generally preferred in formal writing, such as essays for a class or a report for your boss.
Did you know ⊠?
How is have a ball used in real life?
Have a ball is a commonly used phrase that means to enjoy yourself.
Picked up my new electric cargo bike yesterday, and I fear I'm going to join the chorus of people saying it's a game-changer. Hauled both my kids around (100 pounds combined) with little effort, and they had a ball with it.
â Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle)
Iâm doing whatever I want to do this summer and Iâm going to have a ball doing it ..đ„°đ„°đđœââïžđđœââïžđđœââïž
â đ„đ§đđ©đ©đźđ . đŠ (@_jsimoneee)
Just playing Beverly Hills by Weezer over and over and having a ball
â Zach Carlat (@ZCarlat)
Try using have a ball!
Is have a ball used correctly in the following sentence?
My friends were having a ball at the party and couldnât wait to leave because it was so boring.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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