ball boy

noun

: a male attendant who retrieves balls for players or officials (as in a tennis match or a baseball or basketball game)

Examples of ball boy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Replays show the ball boy retrieving a stray ball on the court as Fritz – who ended up winning the match 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) to make the semifinals – wound up to serve. Ben Church, CNN Money, 9 July 2025 Green and Fitzgerald had history — Fitzgerald had worked as a ball boy under Green with the Vikings. Doug Haller, The Athletic, 29 July 2024 In a lengthy Instagram post, the five-time grand slam champion spoke about an incident with a ball boy during her semifinal against Mirra Andreeva in California. George Ramsay, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025 Irsay started as a ball boy for the Colts in 1972 when his father, Robert Irsay, purchased the team, then based in Baltimore. Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for ball boy

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ball boy was in 1903

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Cite this Entry

“Ball boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ball%20boy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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