the ball is in someone's court
5
5.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
te toca a ti
- The meeting ended, and now the ball is in your court to make the next move.
- the ball is in your court now
- Okay, the ball is in your court
- say the ball is in your court
Examples
-
At this point, the ball is in your court.
Blog text (27) -
So the ball is in your court.
Blog text (8) -
Friend, the ball is in your court; start your financial journey where you are with what you have.
Blog text (16) -
Coop, the ball is in your court.
-
"Time will soon tell, and the ball is in Robert's court."
Blog text (17) -
So, the ball is in your court, Valve, wow me.
Blog text (11) -
The ball is in your court now.
Blog text (16) -
The ball is in your court.
Blog text (7) -
The ball's in your court for the next two minutes.
-
The ball's in your court.
Synonyms
98
3.7
To decide what to do in an important situation
17
3.0
The person you are talking to decides what to do
To let someone else decide what to do next
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + ball + be + in + someone's + court
The phrase literally evokes a ball being on someone's side of a playing court, so the spatial/possession relation between 'ball' and 'court' gives a clear metaphorical route to 'it's their turn'. However, the conventionalized sense 'it's now someone’s turn to act/decide' is an idiomatic extension of that sports image and is not fully predictable from the words alone, so a B1 learner may not reliably infer the exact pragmatic meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom the ball is in someone's court comes from games like tennis, where if the ball lands on your side of the court, it is your turn to hit it. So when people say the ball is in your court, they mean 'it's your turn to act or decide'.