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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ball
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Bam Adebayo would play well but is not that give-me-the-darn-ball guy down the stretch.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026
The Knicks had a chance to cut Phoenix’s lead down to just four with under a minute left in regulation, but Karl-Anthony Towns air-balled a wide-open three at the top of the key.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Noun
And after scoring just 94 points in a miserable shooting performance against the Cavs, the Knicks were clicking on all cylinders when the ball found the bottom of the net on Friday.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Bam Adebayo would play well but is not that give-me-the-darn-ball guy down the stretch.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
Verb
The leaders on the team can ball, too.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026
The Knicks had a chance to cut Phoenix’s lead down to just four with under a minute left in regulation, but Karl-Anthony Towns air-balled a wide-open three at the top of the key.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ball
Verb
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Rantanen rounds out the Stars’ list of leading scorers against Seattle with 12 points.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Feb. 2026
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The team is rounded out by Scott, a professional golfer, and Ayumu Hirano, a professional snowboarder.—
Kelly Wetherille,
Footwear News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Once the ball starts rolling, assemble the right crew.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2026
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Specifically, a series of hydrogen leaks and then an unexpected problem getting helium to flow to the upper portion of the launch vehicle led to a series of delays and ultimately a decision to roll the rocket back off its launchpad.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ball. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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