balls 1 of 3

plural of ball
1
as in spheres
a more or less round body or mass the little rubber ball used in racquetball a ball of string

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2
as in bullets
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

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balls

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of ball

balls

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of ball
as in rounds
to form into a round compact mass balled up the paper and threw it at the garbage can

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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 balls
Noun
Palace’s two main routes to creating chances — from wide combinations involving their wingers and through balls from their midfielders — produce plenty of first-time shooting opportunities for their forwards. Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 Last Friday, agents in Chicago reportedly fired tear gas and pepper balls toward a crowd of over 100 protesters outside an ICE facility in Broadview, west of Chicago, after some attempted to block a car near the site. Hanna Park, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025 He was also shot with less lethal projectiles such as pepper balls and rubber bullets, Scherer said. Michelle Cruz, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025 Think things like rattles, balls, activity gyms, and more. Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025 What to know about Powerball To score the jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball. Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025 Using your hands, gently pat and form sausage mixture into 30 (1/4-cup) balls, about 2 inches in diameter (do not roll); set aside. Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025 Sell any unused, yet intact, workout equipment through your local marketplace, and don’t forget about the smaller, less bulky gear like dumbbells and stability balls. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025 The scrapping of two new balls in ODIs is expected, while a handful of boards are pushing for the revival of the 13-team ODI Super League. Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balls
Verb
  • Her fight with Heather, which rounds out the episode, perfectly illustrates this.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Rasmus Sandin rounds things out after coming into his own last season in a top-four role.
    The Athletic NHL, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Use it to evenly marinate the turkey, glaze vegetables, and coat your dinner rolls.
    Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
  • However, Hoover should be the best quarterback on the field Saturday when Colorado rolls into town.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balls. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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