Ball

/bɔl/ · noun

Meaning

A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass..

Definitions by Sense

1. A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
2. (mathematics) Homologue or analogue of a disk in the Euclidean plane.
3. (ballistics, firearms) A solid, spherical nonexplosive missile for a cannon, rifle, gun, etc.
4. A roundish, protuberant portion of some part of the body.
5. The globe; the earthly sphere.
6. (sports, countable) An object that is the focus of many sports and games, in which it may be thrown, caught, kicked, bounced, rolled, chased, retrieved, hit with an instrument, spun, etc., usually roughly spherical or ovoid but whose size, weight, bounciness, colour, etc. differ according to the game
7. (mildly vulgar, slang, usually in the plural) A testicle.
8. (printing, historical) A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; formerly used by printers for inking the form, then superseded by the roller.

Example Sentences

a ball of spittle; a fecal ball

the ball of the thumb

c. 1712', Joseph Addison, Ode to the Creator of the World What, though in solemn Silence, all / Move round the dark terrestrial Ball!

Thus, if eternal Justice rules the ball, / Thus shall your wives, and thus your children fall;

Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.

Graham secured victory with five minutes left, coolly lifting the ball over Asmir Begovic.

Hitler has only got one ball, / Göring has two but very small, / Himmler is rather sim'lar, / But poor old Goebbels has no balls at all.

The laxative alterative has not this advantage, the aloes, of which it is composed, being extremely bitter, and therefore requiring to be given in the form of a ball.

Synonyms for ball

Antonyms for ball

Related Words

Word Forms

• balls
• balling
• balled

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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