1
as in spheres
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 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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dances
a social gathering for dancing
a ball to celebrate the inauguration
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of balls
Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 1 May 2026
All loose balls were property of the Wolves, who outrebounded Denver 50-33, with five guys grabbing at least six.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
Presented annually since 2016-17, the recipient is determined by a statistical formula incorporating the metrics of deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box outs.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
While mice are mostly optical now (instead of using balls), dust can still stick on the buttons.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Five of them will be white balls numbered 1 to 69.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Tatis has hit 25 balls with an exit velocity of 105 mph or harder, tied for second most in the majors.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
How to play Powerball lottery game To score a jackpot in Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
And, really, a good portion of those misses were shooter’s luck or lack of it, balls that rolled or bounced around the rim and fell out rather than falling in.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Arrange dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
Each team received their shipment of logo balls several weeks ago from the Wilson factory so that equipment managers would be able to properly prepare the footballs for their respective offenses.
—Kristi Scales
jan. 5, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
Place balls 3 inches apart on 3 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper (about 12 cookies per sheet).
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2025
Defense overall just balls Two.
—Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
And the rest of the Timberwolves outhustled the Nuggets to rebounds and loose balls.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 1 May 2026
All loose balls were property of the Wolves, who outrebounded Denver 50-33, with five guys grabbing at least six.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
Presented annually since 2016-17, the recipient is determined by a statistical formula incorporating the metrics of deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box outs.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
While mice are mostly optical now (instead of using balls), dust can still stick on the buttons.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Five of them will be white balls numbered 1 to 69.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Tatis has hit 25 balls with an exit velocity of 105 mph or harder, tied for second most in the majors.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
How to play Powerball lottery game To score a jackpot in Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
And, really, a good portion of those misses were shooter’s luck or lack of it, balls that rolled or bounced around the rim and fell out rather than falling in.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
The second and third outs were called third strikes, both of them initially balls before All-Star catcher Realmuto challenged through the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS), or so called robot umpires, that will be used in the regular season for the first time this year.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Arrange dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
Each team received their shipment of logo balls several weeks ago from the Wilson factory so that equipment managers would be able to properly prepare the footballs for their respective offenses.
—Kristi Scales
jan. 5, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
Place balls 3 inches apart on 3 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper (about 12 cookies per sheet).
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2025
Defense overall just balls Two.
—Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balls
Verb
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The piquant dish is lacquered with strawberry-guajillo barbecue sauce, while a punchy coleslaw with Fresno chile vinaigrette rounds things out.—
Carolyn Burt,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
-
Bespoke footwear rounds out the collection, with the Megaride F50 shoe featuring spiderweb panels over a black mesh base.—
Kanika Talwar,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Joshua rolls past North Side Isabella Lambert threw a no-hitter and struck out 10 batters to lead Joshua past Fort Worth North Side 14-0 in 5 innings in their Class 5A Division II bi-district single-game series playoff on Thursday night at Joshua High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
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From there, the mock drafts are all over the place, which is always a sign for some fun, and even chaos, as the draft rolls along.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balls. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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