the belle of the ball

noun phrase

old-fashioned

: the most beautiful and popular woman at a dance, party, etc.

She was the belle of the ball.

Examples of the belle of the ball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Amid a draft class in which tight ends were the belle of the ball, Shanahan and Lynch decided to exit the proceedings having completely ignored the position. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026

This lovely cake will be the belle of the ball at any spring soiree. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026

John Harbaugh, New York Giants Harbaugh was the belle of the ball after he was dismissed from the Ravens. — Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 2 Feb. 2026

The Oscar nominations 2026 are finally here—and after months of speculation and predictions and chatter, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has emerged as the belle of the ball. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 22 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for the belle of the ball

• mercaptoethanol
• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol