From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishplay ballplay balla) to throw, kick, hit, or catch a ball as a game or activity Jim and Karl were playing ball in the backyard. b) to do what someone wants you to do So far, the company has refused to play ball, preferring to remain independent. → play
Examples from the Corpus
play ball• It was a timeless scene: a brick house, a mown meadow, a man and his boy playing ball.• It seemed clear to us that we would always have the time to play ball and get better as we went along.• When they break a window playing ball or lose something that belongs to a friend, they should make amends.• She played ball, she had difficulty with spelling, and she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up.• He has no one to play ball with and tosses his ball against the wall in a most despondent fashion.• The editor would have doubled it, if you'd played ball with me.• There is a simple, inexpensive solution for those who refuse to play ball with the system. 