wrecking ball

noun

: a heavy iron or steel ball swung or dropped by a derrick to demolish old buildings

called also wrecker's ball

Examples of wrecking ball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The government has been shut down for more than three weeks, the president just took a wrecking ball to the White House and more than 40 million Americans are potentially a month away from losing their food assistance unless Congress acts soon. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2025

The year before his death, in 2016, sickness entered my life like a wrecking ball. —Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025

The motel closed in July and its date with the wrecking ball approaches, likely in mid-October, with plans to replace it with an apartment complex. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025

Neighborhood organizers have pushed against the wrecking ball in Valentine for decades and mourned after KC Life demolished more than 20 homes last fall. —Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wrecking ball

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