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on the ball

ADJECTIVE
alert
Synonyms
WEAK
active all ears attentive bright cagey careful clever good hands heads up intelligent lively observant on guard on one's toes on the job on the lookout on the stick perceptive quick ready sharp spirited vigilant watchful wise with it
ADVERB
paying attention
Synonyms
WEAK
alert alive attentive awake on one's toes on the job on top of ready sharp vital wide-awake with it

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Bouaddi was composed on the ball and tried to dictate things in the middle of the park," he said.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026

Jude Bellingham: Played in a deeper role and was on the ball a lot more than the previous match.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026

With time and space on the ball, Porro played a cross to the back post which was knocked into a more central position for Mikel Oyarzabal to tap in.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026

First, Scott McKenna was caught on the ball by Bournemouth forward Rayan and Vinicius Jr skipped past Angus Gunn to score.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Those kids on the ball field looked big, like they wouldn’t appreciate having their ball stolen.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

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