ball

verb

balled; balling

transitive verb

1

: to form or gather into a ball

balled the paper into a wad

2

usually vulgar : to have sexual intercourse with

intransitive verb

1

: to form or gather into a ball

2

usually vulgar : to engage in sexual intercourse

3

US, informal : to play basketball

Common shot all his own scenes on the hardwood, balling against NBA superstars Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard.

—Chris Richards

Synonyms of ball

• round
• roll

Examples of ball in a Sentence

I stood up quickly and balled my hands into fists.

He balled the letter in his hands and threw it in the trash.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Knicks are back out in front, as Jalen Brunson is balling despite hobbling after hurting his right knee and left ankle. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 4 June 2026

Jesser and friends take on legendary athletes, such as Dwyane Wade, at their own sports in this new episodic series — attempting to prove that YouTubers can ball. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 13 May 2026

DeWanna Bonner is the consummate sixth player, still balling in her age-38 season. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 8 May 2026

Power couples ball against each other on the court or support each other from the sidelines. —Yohana Desta, Vanity Fair, 7 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing ball

• air-ball
• a whole new ball game
• ball and chain
• ball-and-socket joint
• ball bearing
• ball boy
• ball cock
• ball control
• ball field
• ball-flower
• ball game
• ball girl
• ball gown
• ball handler
• ball joint
• ball lightning
• ball mill
• ball of fire
• ball of wax
• ball-peen hammer
• ball up
• ball valve
• batted ball
• b-ball
• beach ball
• behind the eight ball
• best-ball
• bocce ball
• bocci ball
• boccie ball
• breaking ball
• carry the ball
• cotton ball
• cotton wool ball
• crystal ball
• cue ball
• drop the ball
• eight ball
• fair ball
• fly ball
• foul ball
• four-ball
• game ball
• get/set/start the ball rolling
• golf ball
• gopher ball
• ground ball
• hair ball
• have a ball
• jump ball
• keep one's eye on the ball
• keep the ball rolling
• long ball
• matzo ball
• medicine ball
• object ball
• on the ball
• passed ball
• play ball
• root ball
• small ball
• sour ball
• stress ball
• T-ball
• tea ball
• tee-ball
• the ball is in one's court
• the belle of the ball
• three-ball
• touch down the ball
• touch the ball down
• wrecking ball

Rhymes for ball

• ahl
• all
• aul
• bawl
• brawl
• call
• caul
• crawl
• dol
• doll
• drawl
• fall

Kids Definition

ball

1 of 3 noun

ˈbȯl 

1

a

: something round or roundish

a ball of twine

b

: a usually round object used in a game or sport

c

: a usually round shot for a firearm

d

: the rounded bulge at the base of the thumb

also : the rounded wide part of the bottom of the human foot between the toes and arch

2

: a game or sport (as baseball) played with a ball

play ball

3

: a pitched baseball that fails to pass through the strike zone and is not struck at by the batter

ball

2 of 3 verb

: to make or come together into a ball

ball

3 of 3 noun

: a large formal party for dancing

Etymology

Middle English bal "ball"

from French bal "a dance," derived from Latin ballare "to dance" — related to ballet

Medical Definition

ball

1 of 2 noun

ˈbȯl 

: a round or roundish body or mass: as

a

: a roundish protuberant part of the body: as

(1)

: the rounded eminence by which the base of the thumb is continuous with the palm of the hand

(2)

: the rounded broad part of the sole of the human foot between toes and arch and on which the main weight of the body first rests in normal walking

(3)

: the padded rounded underside of a human finger or toe near the tip

b

: eyeball

c

often vulgar : testis

d

: a large pill (as one used in veterinary medicine) : bolus

ball

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to give a medicinal ball to (as a horse)