Say it like this
- I've sent the proposal—the ball's in their court now.
- We gave them all the specs. Ball's in their court.
- I shared my concerns, but the ball's in your court on this one.
Use it at work
Handing over
- I've sent the proposal. The ball's in your court now.
- We've done our part. The ball's in their court.
Following up
- Just checking, is the ball in our court or theirs?
- The ball's in the client's court to approve.
Being polite
- Let me know your thoughts. The ball's in your court.
- Over to you. No rush.
Don't say this
The idiom uses 'in,' not 'on.' This comes from tennis terminology.
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Your teammate asks for a status update on the feature. You've finished coding and sent it to QA. What do you say?
2. Which sentence has an error?
3. I've submitted all the documents. The _____ in the legal team's _____ now.
4. Make this more natural: 'I completed my work. Now they need to do something.'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"I've sent the proposal—the ball's in their court now."
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More about the ball's in your court
Real examples(7)
- Standup
"I finished the API integration yesterday. The ball's in QA's court now."
- Slack message
"Just sent the design mockups to the client. Ball's in their court!"
- GitHub PR
"I addressed all comments. The ball's in your court for the final review."
- Jira ticket
"Waiting on product decision. The ball's in PM's court."
- Retrospective
"We raised the infrastructure concerns last sprint. The ball's been in leadership's court for weeks."
- Sprint planning
"Once we get the requirements, we can estimate. Right now, the ball's in the stakeholders' court."
- Pair programming
"I wrote the tests—the ball's in your court for the implementation."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Can sound like you're pushing responsibility onto someone else if you haven't actually finished your part.
- ✕I put the ball in your court.✓The ball's in your court now.
While 'put the ball in your court' is acceptable, the standard form describes the current state, not the action of placing it.
- ✕The ball's in your court to fix the bug.✓The ball's in your court—we need you to fix the bug.
This idiom describes whose turn it is, not specific tasks. Add the task as a separate sentence.
Other forms(3)
- the ball's in your court idiom (present)
"I gave them the specs. The ball's in their court."
- the ball was in their court idiom (past)
"The ball was in their court for two weeks before they responded."
- the ball's in [someone's] court idiom (possessive variation)
"The ball's in the client's court now."
Often used with(4)
- now the ball's in your court · Emphasizes that responsibility just shifted
- the ball's been in their court · Used when waiting for a response for some time
- put the ball in someone's court · Less common; means to shift responsibility to them
- ball's in their court · Casual shortened form, common in speech
Similar words(4)
- it's up to you · More direct; focuses on decision-making rather than action
- over to you · Common in UK English; slightly more formal
- your move · Very casual; from chess rather than tennis
- waiting on you · More direct and can sound slightly impatient
Opposites(4)
- I'll take it from here
- it's on me
- my responsibility
- I'll handle it
Questions(6)
- Is 'the ball's in your court' too casual for work?
- No, this idiom is widely accepted in workplace conversations, meetings, and Slack. Avoid it only in very formal documents like contracts or executive reports.
- Can I say 'the ball's in your court' to my manager?
- Yes, but be careful with tone. It clearly states that you're waiting for them to act. Make sure you've actually completed your part first.
- What's the difference between 'the ball's in your court' and 'over to you'?
- 'Over to you' is more neutral and simply hands off a conversation or task. 'The ball's in your court' emphasizes that the other person must now decide or act—it implies waiting.
- How do I reply when someone says 'the ball's in your court'?
- Acknowledge that you understand. Say something like 'Got it, I'll review this today' or 'Thanks, I'll get back to you by Friday.' This confirms you accept the responsibility.
- Can I use this phrase in a Jira ticket or PR comment?
- Yes, but it's more common in spoken English and Slack. In tickets or PRs, you might also write 'Waiting on X' or 'Ready for review' which are more direct.
- Is 'ball's in their court' grammatically correct without 'the'?
- Yes, dropping 'the' is common in casual speech and Slack. Both 'The ball's in their court' and 'Ball's in their court' are correct and natural.
