drop the ball
English · Thesaurus
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
drop the ball
Where it comes from
An allusion to the rules of such games as baseball, American football or cricket wherein literally dropping the ball would be a mistake.
verb drops the ball · dropping the ball · dropped the ball
- 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. The movie ought to sputter out here, but Crowe and Cruise don't drop the ball.
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Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see drop, ball.
Similar: fall on one's face, fuck up, screw the pooch
Translations
Every language
verb fail in one’s responsibilities
| Español | equivocarse, meter la pata |
|---|---|
| Português | pisar na bola |
Talk about this word "drop the ball." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/drop%20the%20ball. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. drop the ball. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/drop%20the%20ball "drop the ball." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/drop%20the%20ball.Cite this
@misc{drop_the_ball_2026,
title = {drop the ball},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/drop%20the%20ball},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
