dropped the ball

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiominformalfigurative

   Failed to do something you were responsible for, usually by making a mistake or forgetting, so that others are affected.

   Grammar: The verb changes with tense (drop, dropped, dropping) but the rest stays fixed: she dropped the ball on that deadline.

   Patterns

   • someone dropped the ball on something
   • someone dropped the ball with someone

   Our team really dropped the ball when we forgot to send the invoice.

   I think the school dropped the ball by not telling parents about the change.

   He admitted he had dropped the ball on the project and apologized.

2. 2phraseidiomsport

   In sports like football or baseball, let the ball fall out of your hands while holding or catching it.

   Grammar: Literal use in a game; the player is the subject: the receiver dropped the ball.

   Patterns

   • someone dropped the ball in the end zone

   The receiver dropped the ball in the end zone and the crowd groaned.

   The fielder dropped the ball, and the runner reached second base.

   She dropped the ball during practice and had to start the drill again.

Word forms

Common combinations

really dropped the ball

The airline really dropped the ball with our luggage.

dropped the ball on

Management dropped the ball on safety checks.

dropped the ball completely

The planners dropped the ball completely and nobody booked the venue.

admit you dropped the ball

It is hard to admit you dropped the ball in front of your boss.

never dropped the ball

In ten years she never dropped the ball on a client request.

Synonyms and how they differ

messed up

Messed up is more general and does not suggest that a particular duty was left undone, while dropped the ball stresses a lapse in responsibility.

slipped up

Slipped up suggests a small, often one-off error, whereas dropped the ball often means a bigger failure with consequences.

let someone down

Let someone down focuses on the disappointment of the other person, not the failure of the task itself.

blundered

Blundered is more formal and implies a clumsy mistake in judgment rather than neglected responsibility.

Opposites

Word family

drop verb

to let something fall

dropped adjective

fallen or lowered, as in a dropped catch

ball-dropper noun

informal word for someone who regularly fails to do what is expected

Commonly confused: dropped the ball or fumbled?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dropped the ball”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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