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
Relevance
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ball
Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
Kraft caught the ball just 5 yards downfield and safety Will Harris had a chance to make an immediate tackle.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
Newly installed balled and burlapped plants need about 1 inch of water a week — be sure the root ball is getting watered.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ball
Noun
Trotter got the ball and scored with only 5 seconds off the clock.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
Kraft caught the ball just 5 yards downfield and safety Will Harris had a chance to make an immediate tackle.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
And Brickell, known for its clubsteraunts that cater to celebs and people who want to ball out, is one of those places that many locals only dine in when the budget allows.
—Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
Newly installed balled and burlapped plants need about 1 inch of water a week — be sure the root ball is getting watered.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ball
Verb
-
Katherine LaNasa, Shawn Hatosy, Taylor Dearden, Patrick Ball, Isa Briones, Fiona Dourif, Supriya Ganesh, Shabana Azeez and Gerran Howell round out the ensemble cast.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The state saw a $673 billion increase from February 2020 to June, rounding out the total market value rankings in 10th place, below Illinois, Pennsylvania and the top states of California and New York.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This eliminates rolling resistance, delivering both speed and smoothness.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The retailer has organizers for as little as $1, including clear bins, rolling utility carts, under-bed storage, and more.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ball. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share