Ballgames

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Competitive sports, typically played with a ball, often held in a stadium or field, that can include various team or individual sports
2. Recreational activities involving teams or players aiming to score points by moving a ball, encompassing diverse formats and rules
3. Organized events featuring gameplay with a spherical object, spanning traditional sports like football or basketball to casual street games

Etymology: "Ballgames" is a plain compound: "ball" plus "game," joined into one word. "Ball" comes from Old English "ball," and "game" from Old English "gamen," meaning amusement or sport. The pairing is transparent, and the compound is simply the plural of a general term for any sport played with a ball. The plural matters here. "Ballgame" as a singular noun is attested in English, and the plural "ballgames" is formed in the ordinary way by adding "-s," so it denotes several such sports or several separate contests. The phrase "a whole new ballgame," meaning a situation that has changed completely, is a separate idiomatic use that grew out of the sporting sense.

Synonyms: games, matches, sports, competitions, contests