baller

1 of 2

noun

ball·​er ˈbȯ-lər 

plural ballers

1

: an implement for shaping food into a ball or removing a core

a melon baller

2

US, informal

a

: an athlete who plays a sport that involves the use of a ball

especially : a basketball player

In '98, Kobe represented again as the youngest baller in history to play in an NBA All-Star game.

—Bobbito Garcia

b

: a wealthy and successful person who lives lavishly

The next day he received a stack of cards listing his name and a new title: Baller. That is hip hop for … a big shot.

—Amanda Schupak

baller

2 of 2

adjective

informal

: excellent, exciting, or extraordinary especially in a way that is suggestive of a lavish lifestyle

… gangster films, unsurprisingly, offer up some of the finest examples of watches that offer no functions other than to look totally baller …

—Alfred Tong

For the Law Firm of Gary, Williams, Lewis, and Watson, P.I., "low-budget" is a concept that just doesn't exist. To the contrary, the firm wants to make it clear just how baller the life of a private injury attorney can be.

—Natasha Lydon

Examples of baller in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Gay, a 2020 second-round pick by Kansas City out of Mississippi State, was a baller early in his career. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026

No more distractions, no more lingering questions, just a baller who loves this sport and continues to level up. — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 31 July 2026

There are also whiskey highballs or neat pours with Japanese and Korean spirits, such as Suntory Toki on the low end ($13) and Akkeshi Shoman Shosetsu for the baller crowd ($39). — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

James, in fact, is as much of a baller as there has ever been. — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

derivative of baller entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Adjective

2003, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing baller

• B-baller
• melon baller

Rhymes for baller

• caller
• choler
• collar
• crawler
• dollar
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• scholar
• smaller
• squalor