1
as in sphere
a more or less round body or mass
the little rubber ball used in racquetball a ball of string
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullet
a usually round or cone-shaped little piece of lead made to be fired from a firearm
found a cache of musket balls while excavating the old fort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of ball
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
After Matthew Torres threw a no-hitter on Monday against Poly, Alex Martinez took the ball Thursday and recorded six shutout innings in a 10-0 win over the Parrots.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2026
Stan Son, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Arrange dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Noun
Down 20, Murray brought the ball over halfcourt, looking for space.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
After Matthew Torres threw a no-hitter on Monday against Poly, Alex Martinez took the ball Thursday and recorded six shutout innings in a 10-0 win over the Parrots.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Isaiah Collier, who was balling out and playing 34 minutes a night, is most impacted.
—Stan Son, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Arrange dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ball
Verb
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Philippine performers Charo Santos, Dingdong Dantes, Zia Dantes, AC Bonifacio, and KD Estrada round out the cast.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
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Forwards Noah Gregor, Jack Studnicka and Nolan Foote plus defenseman Tobias Bjornfot round out the AHL regulars who saw plenty of time with the Panthers this season.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Plus, pants lie flat or roll and fit nicely in your luggage.—
Gabrielle Porcaro,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
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Amelia Price scored five goals as Newburyport rolled to a 20-5 Cape Ann League win over Triton.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ball. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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