1
as in sphere
a more or less round body or mass
the little rubber ball used in racquetball a ball of string
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullet
a usually round or cone-shaped little piece of lead made to be fired from a firearm
found a cache of musket balls while excavating the old fort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ball
Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Carried the ball 169 times and caught 109 passes in college.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
The second and third outs were called third strikes, both of them initially balls before All-Star catcher Realmuto challenged through the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS), or so called robot umpires, that will be used in the regular season for the first time this year.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Noun
Smart skidded across the floor for a loose ball and was fouled, a jaw-scraping effort that forced him to check his teeth on his way up from the hardwood.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Carried the ball 169 times and caught 109 passes in college.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
The bad news for local college basketball fans is that Crutchfield – according to multiple sources – has declined to interview for the job at FIU due to the changing landscape of NCAA Division I ball.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
The second and third outs were called third strikes, both of them initially balls before All-Star catcher Realmuto challenged through the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS), or so called robot umpires, that will be used in the regular season for the first time this year.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ball
Verb
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Philippine performers Charo Santos, Dingdong Dantes, Zia Dantes, AC Bonifacio, and KD Estrada round out the cast.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
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Forwards Noah Gregor, Jack Studnicka and Nolan Foote plus defenseman Tobias Bjornfot round out the AHL regulars who saw plenty of time with the Panthers this season.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Harbaugh seemed tense during his Friday press conference sitting next to GM Joe Schoen as the second round of the draft rolled on compared to a much more positive Thursday interview after the first round.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
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Making the event even more significant, Rivian actually launched production of the R2 on Wednesday, with the first customer-ready vehicle rolling off the line — despite the Normal factory being hit by a tornado last week.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ball. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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