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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of balls
Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
Wool dryer balls reduce static cling and help the laundry dry more quickly and evenly.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2025
Then, one person had to dig out a hole in the sand under the cage to squeeze through and rebound shots from players trying to hit three balls into three baskets.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
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, 22 Oct. 2025
Five of them will be white balls with numbers from 1 to 70.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Play-by-play man Mike Tirico was joined by color analysts Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford during the night's first game and was also joined by six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan for a wide-ranging interview that included a few curve balls from the Bulls legend.
—Nick Meyer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The then-22-year-old caught 33 balls for 411 yards and two touchdowns with the Denver Broncos.
—Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Her ticket matched four white balls in the drawing, winning her a $50,000 prize that was multiplied to $100,000 because of the Power Play option.
—Tanya Wildt, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
Foothill also combined for six blocks and slowed down several kill attempts by partially blocking balls at the net.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
Wool dryer balls reduce static cling and help the laundry dry more quickly and evenly.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2025
Then, one person had to dig out a hole in the sand under the cage to squeeze through and rebound shots from players trying to hit three balls into three baskets.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
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, 22 Oct. 2025
Five of them will be white balls with numbers from 1 to 70.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Play-by-play man Mike Tirico was joined by color analysts Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford during the night's first game and was also joined by six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan for a wide-ranging interview that included a few curve balls from the Bulls legend.
—Nick Meyer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The then-22-year-old caught 33 balls for 411 yards and two touchdowns with the Denver Broncos.
—Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Her ticket matched four white balls in the drawing, winning her a $50,000 prize that was multiplied to $100,000 because of the Power Play option.
—Tanya Wildt, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balls
Verb
-
Making the press rounds lately, Stone’s wardrobe has featured many elevated shoe looks.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Her friend Jordan Firstman rounds out the main cast as Charlie, a celebrity stylist, and other compatriots will appear in cameos throughout the season.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Champagne, caviar and lobster rolls for brunch?—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Oct. 2025
-
There are 21 seconds left in the second quarter when Brady Smigiel rolls to his left, sees no available receivers and decides to run for a touchdown himself.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balls. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share