BALLS Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

balls 1 of 3

noun (1)

plural of ball

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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blanks

balls

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of ball

as in dances

a social gathering for dancing a ball to celebrate the inauguration

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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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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 balls

Noun

In This Article From fun, quirky dips to sweet, tangy cake frostings and cheesecakes to cheesy sausage balls, cream cheese runs the gamut from sweet to savory Southern recipes. — Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026 The idea is to move beyond the familiar cycle of hitting balls, studying numbers, and wondering what to change next. — New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026 The core loop asks the player to choose a character, play, win coins and improve characters or balls. — Michal Rahamim, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026 The senior wide receiver is a primary special teams contributor and has caught 10 balls for 124 yards and a TD in 28 games. — Pj Green september 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026 In defence, his lack of physicality is becoming more glaring in a Premier League that is leaning more heavily than ever into duels, second balls and set pieces. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Pages hit softer balls Monday and will advance to hitting baseballs in the cage Tuesday. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Renshaw’s 109 off 94 balls was complemented by Cooper Connolly’s 51 that gave Australia a total of 294-8 in its first one-day cricket international in Zimbabwe in 12 years. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026 The event combines eight runs — each one kilometer — with multiple fitness stations, including the SkiErg, sled push and pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, wall balls, sandbag lunges, and farmers carry. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

Verb

Bassey signs, Ike balls out An hour after the Warriors officially signed reserve center Charles Bassey to a one-year deal, Graham Ike did his best to show that the backup center position should still be considered in flux. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 10 July 2026 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

Noun

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the bridge should spur development between the two countries in various spheres — including tourism — and create new jobs.

— Reuters, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026
Both women recognized that fully realizing the aspirations and talents of women and girls also requires valuing the virtues and qualities that men and boys contribute, in the private and public spheres.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of spheres

Noun

In April, a Belgian Air Force Airbus A400M military transport reported being hit with bullets in an engine and the tail while on approach to Toussaint Louverture.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
During another City Council meeting in August, Mayor Brad Pike referenced an instance where one resident had 10 bullets hit his house.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of bullets

Noun

Just Beyond Endless Mountain feels loving, pastoral, and raw, with long fiddle solos, flute that dances around the lyrics and scores of other orchestral instruments, most that Matsson plays himself.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2026
His grandfather, Mateo Lopez, a Santa Fe railroad worker, helped build the neighborhood hall with other residents in the 1930s as a place for dances, weddings, and quinceañeras.

— Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of dances

Noun

Seeing the world through old maps The Osher Map Library, at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, is home to half a million rare maps, globes and atlases, dating as far back as the 15th century.

— David Morgan, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
In another Amsterdam photo, a pair of identical world globes, recalling Ghirri’s passion for cartography and atlases, rest on matching supports to conjure that oldest of surrealist tropes, a pair of staring eyes.

— James Quandt, Artforum, 2 June 2026

Definition of globes

Noun

Flutes, maracas and the rhythmic rattle of shells soon filled the room as Ortega led the other dancers through a series of movements rooted in an Indigenous tradition.

— Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
What better place to display the shells the family collected on vacation?

— Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of shells

Noun

In addition to showing up everywhere, from festivals to parades and weddings to proms, the Wienermobile has also helped people, including Drew Barrymore, celebrate their birthdays over the decades with special stops made in their honor.

— Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
Dunkin’ Prom, which funds alternative proms for teens who may have missed theirs for medical reasons and lastly, grants to customize hospital spaces to create joy.

— Zuri Primos June 29, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2026

Definition of proms

Verb

In the very short term, that starts when the Hypercar field rolls across the start line to begin Sunday’s race in Austin.

— Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Sol says she was picked on by Melanie and her girls — production rolls a tape of Melanie and Sol’s emotional conversation about Sol’s late father and experiencing homelessness.

— Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026