Meaning & Origin
“The ball is in your court” means responsibility has shifted to the other person — it’s their move now. The phrase comes from sports like tennis, where the ball physically lands in one side’s court, signaling it’s that side’s turn to play.
Pronunciation Guide
- the BALL is in YOUR COURT — natural stress on “ball,” “your,” and “court.”
Usage & Sentence Examples
Use it when you’ve done your part and are waiting for the other person to act.
- Legal has the draft — the ball is in their court.
- I’ve shared pricing; the ball is in your court.
- Once we submit the application, the ball is in the committee’s court.
- We’ve proposed two dates; the ball is in the client’s court.
- The team finished QA; now the ball is in release engineering’s court.
- I followed up twice — the ball is in their court.
Synonyms
it’s your move · your call · up to you now · we’re waiting on you · the next step is yours · your turn
.svg)
.png)
.webp)
