mothball

1 of 2

noun

moth·​ball ˈmȯth-ˌbȯl 

1

: a ball made formerly of camphor but now often of naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene and used to keep moths away from clothing

2

mothballs plural : a condition of protective storage

put the ships in mothballs after the war

also : a state of having been rejected for further use or dismissed from further consideration

a … script he should have kept in mothballs.

—Rolling Stone

mothball

2 of 2

verb

mothballed; mothballing; mothballs

transitive verb

1

: to deactivate (something, such as a ship) and prevent deterioration chiefly by dehumidification

2

: to withdraw from use or service and keep in reserve : put aside

mothballed the plans for the project

Examples of mothball in a Sentence

Verb

Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Since mothballs are proven to be ineffective (and harmful), here are some safer alternatives to consider. —Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 25 Jan. 2026

Be aware that mothballs are insecticides and should be used with care, according to the label instructions. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 25 Jan. 2026

Verb

By the time anyone noticed that single, tantalizing signal in Kepler’s vast dataset, the telescope had been mothballed, decommissioned into a graveyard orbit after running out of fuel. —Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2026

The Devil’s Place whiskey list also includes complete collections of special expressions and bottles from distilleries long mothballed. —Don Tse, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mothball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

mothball

1 of 2 noun

moth·​ball ˈmȯth-ˌbȯl 

1

: a ball (as of naphthalene) used to keep moths out of clothing

2

plural : protective storage

a fleet put in mothballs after the war

mothball

2 of 2 verb

1

: to remove a ship from use and protect from deterioration

2

: to withdraw from use or service and keep in reserve : put aside