American Dictionary

Define dictionary terms easily in our powerful online English dictionary.

Searching for...

No matching words found

Try a different search term or browse the dictionary

Definition play hardball in American English

play hardball phrase

phrase
1

to use any methods to defeat someone, even unfair or dishonest ones

Example

Helms is playing political hardball with the White House, threatening that his committee will block the nominations.

Synonyms and related words
Definition play hardball in American English