How to Use on the ball in a Sentence

on the ball

phrase
  • Control boots are built for touch on the ball and clean finishing.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 30 June 2026
  • With minimal pressure placed on the ball, there was barely a misplaced pass.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 2026
  • With minimal pressure placed on the ball, there was barely a misplaced pass.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 2026
  • Japan battled valiantly but ultimately couldn’t spend enough time on the ball to threaten Brazil.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026
  • Mora was clean and decisive on the ball against Ecuador before exiting the match in the 59th minute.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 1 July 2026
  • With that technique putting more pace on the ball, forwards just need to redirect the ball instead of mustering their own power on a slower delivery.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • At Bayern last season, around a quarter of his chances came from that zone on the edge of the box, showcasing the value of getting him on the ball between the lines.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • Riyad Mahrez was quickest to react, seizing on the ball as Mwene tried in desperation to rugby tackle him backwards.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 2026
  • Riyad Mahrez was quickest to react, seizing on the ball as Mwene tried in desperation to rugby tackle him backwards.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 2026
  • Meanwhile in the Bronx, a no-man’s-land pop up took Jazz Chisholm into the outfield grass, while Jasson Domínguez broke in on the ball.
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • After Florian Wirtz crossed in from the left side of the pitch, Kai Havertz got just enough of his head on the ball to flick it into the far side of the goal.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026
  • Late in the game, Portugal were spared extra time after Croatia's second goal was ruled out for an offside detected by the faintest touch on the ball.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 July 2026
  • Adidas’s 1994 Predator added strips of rubber on the shoe’s toe, which provided extra grip that the company and players say translated to bigger, curvier bends on the ball.
    — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 2 July 2026
  • Unsurprisingly, no player has been involved in more passing sequences leading to shots than the 24-year-old this summer, given complete freedom to roam and dictate attacks with his abilities on the ball.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • After Antonio Nusa scored the game’s first goal, Haaland had a chance to put Norway up 2-0 but couldn’t get enough power on the ball after it was deflected to find the back of the net.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026
  • Since making the final four in Qatar, Morocco have evolved their style of play, integrating the likes of Ayyoub Bouaddi and Brahim Díaz who have given them better ability on the ball.
    — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 29 June 2026
  • The Netherlands' Micky van de Ven got his boot on the ball cleanly in the 43rd minute and tried to shoot it high over the head of Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but Bounou got a glove on it, sending it skyward.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on the ball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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