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
Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
The pair met again at a Thanksgiving charity ball in California and ended up spending the holidays together.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
Bare root trees and shrubs, as the name suggests, are not sold in a pot or balled and burlapped.
—Dr. Lauren Kurtz, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Noun
The last 13 of them didn’t even get the ball out of the infield against Nelson and Diamondbacks relievers Jonathan Loaisiga and Ryan Thompson.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
The pair met again at a Thanksgiving charity ball in California and ended up spending the holidays together.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
Arrange dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
Bare root trees and shrubs, as the name suggests, are not sold in a pot or balled and burlapped.
—Dr. Lauren Kurtz, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ball
Verb
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To round out the Mary Kay sensibility—beauty without eros—big earners received diamond bumblebee pins, golden goblets, and birthstone rings.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Burger King and Wendy's rounded out the top five with their standard single-patty cheeseburgers.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Atlanta has no shortage of big names rolling through town this spring, but some of the most electric shows on the calendar aren’t the ones with the biggest following.—
Avery Newmark,
AJC.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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Woods’ car then rolled onto its driver’s side.—
Cody Jackson,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ball. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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