hardball
noun
hard·ball
ˈhärd-ˌbȯl 
1
: baseball
2
: forceful uncompromising methods employed to gain an end
played political hardball
Examples of hardball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Not exactly a hardball, especially for Robbins, who has an everything-must-go approach to self-disclosure.
—
Belinda Luscombe / Boston, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
Governments that adopted a hardball stance were often able to do business with Trump.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024
Despite its use as a hardball negotiating tactic by aggressive developers, no project has broken ground, much less finished, as a result of the builder’s remedy.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
On the other hand, governments such as China that adopted a hardball negotiating stance were often able to do business with Trump to their benefit.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hardball 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Belinda Luscombe / Boston, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
Governments that adopted a hardball stance were often able to do business with Trump.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024
Despite its use as a hardball negotiating tactic by aggressive developers, no project has broken ground, much less finished, as a result of the builder’s remedy.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
On the other hand, governments such as China that adopted a hardball negotiating stance were often able to do business with Trump to their benefit.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hardball
Dictionary Entries Near hardball
Cite this Entry
“Hardball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hardball. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share