balls 1 of 3

Definition of ballsnext
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
Five of them will be white balls numbered 1 to 69. Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 12 Feb. 2026 How to play the Powerball To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball. Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 12 Feb. 2026 Many are disappointed to see the possible departure of American Golf, which offers an unusual driving range deal that is highly popular — users can pay $45 a month for unlimited range balls the entire month. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026 Ulyate said at the time, cricketers earned very little for competing, so their pay was often supplemented with material prizes like bats, balls and watches. Juliana Kim, NPR, 11 Feb. 2026 De Minaur also went on to make a similar complaint to one Medvedev has made before — that the balls are extremely difficult to hit through and favour the tour’s biggest hitters. Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026 Not only is there PU foam for arch support, but there’s also EVA padding in the front of the soles to keep the balls of your feet cradled and comfy. Olivia Dubyak, Travel + Leisure, 10 Feb. 2026 How to play Mega Millions Player can pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers — five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 24 (the gold Mega Mall). Tanya Wildt, Freep.com, 7 Feb. 2026 The indoor park will be turned into a football field for participating dogs to race for tennis balls and the pup that finds the special ball will receive a prize. Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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 Arrange the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2025 Defense overall just balls Two. Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balls
Verb
  • Blue Raspberry rounds out the flavor options and delivers 5 grams of micronized creatine that’s proven to increase strength, support muscle growth and improve workout endurance.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Additional casting has yet to be announced as creator Mike White rounds out his Season 4 ensemble.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • As a sextet, the youngsters have strong, lively chemistry that just about carries the movie through the longueurs and lousy melodrama, especially when the final act rolls round.
    Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
  • But after the 2014 Rock Hall inductee once again took aim at rap being included in the HOF earlier this week, the Hard Rhymer provided the God of Thunder with a little history lesson on what rocks, and what rolls.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balls. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

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