as in rolled
to form into a round compact mass
balled up the paper and threw it at the garbage can
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 balled
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
Bare root trees and shrubs, as the name suggests, are not sold in a pot or balled and burlapped.
—Dr. Lauren Kurtz, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
Pare raised both hands, balled in fists, pumping away.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The Knicks had a chance to cut Phoenix’s lead down to just four with under a minute left in regulation, but Karl-Anthony Towns air-balled a wide-open three at the top of the key.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026
Trump's pin features a cartoon version of himself with his mouth open, brows furrowed and fists balled at his sides.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Pre-dug and balled include white pine, Norway spruce, and Colorado blue spruce.
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
Her brother cannon-balled off a rock to join her.
—Brianna Randall, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 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
Verb
Jokic came off a pin-down from Braun to catch on the right wing — again making Gobert chase him around a screen — but air-balled the 3-pointer.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
Bare root trees and shrubs, as the name suggests, are not sold in a pot or balled and burlapped.
—Dr. Lauren Kurtz, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
Pare raised both hands, balled in fists, pumping away.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The Knicks had a chance to cut Phoenix’s lead down to just four with under a minute left in regulation, but Karl-Anthony Towns air-balled a wide-open three at the top of the key.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026
Trump's pin features a cartoon version of himself with his mouth open, brows furrowed and fists balled at his sides.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Pre-dug and balled include white pine, Norway spruce, and Colorado blue spruce.
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
Her brother cannon-balled off a rock to join her.
—Brianna Randall, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balled
Adjective
-
His strength in transition is a major attraction, as are his rounded defensive game and the regularity of his attacking contribution.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
The aim is to create a rounded, agave-forward Tequila with layered sweetness rather than overt oakiness.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The Los Angeles Angels rolled past the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.—
Chantz Martin OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
The ball rolled away from his grasp and Duran was safe at first as Texas had two runners on base against Royals starter Seth Lugo.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Behind the glass sat a sea-foam green Hermes 3000, a pre-1966 model, instantly recognizable by its bulbous body and soft, swelling curves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
Everyone is bulbous, stringy, or malformed.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The Socks Are Inside Other Clothes Did the sock actually enter another space-time continuum—or did it get wadded up in someone's pant leg?—
Katie Cloyd,
Martha Stewart,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some dots resemble pairs of eyes; others appear as overlapping roundish figures.—
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Bieber’s stage was large, roundish, and mostly bare, with a hilly ridge around the edges.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Check It Out, 2022, consists of an educational program on anger management that plays on a spherical red television set recalling a space helmet.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
Benjamin began the bee Tuesday by correctly spelling micellar, an adjective that describes anything relating to or composed of micelles, which are tiny, self-assembling, spherical clusters of molecules.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Nike engineered the globular Air units to be flexible and low to the ground.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The plant is easily identified by its rampant growth in the spring and its spiny globular fruit.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Joe Gargery, comparing slices of bread; the rotund voice of Mr Jaggers in Great Expectations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
-
Briefly appearing in a TikTok video about the new MacBook Neo, a brand-new, rotund character based on Apple's iconic Finder application, the file manager on Apple computers, is taking the internet by storm.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balled. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
