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
Laura McLively, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
The 24-year-old has played in 46 games for the Packers, catching 108 balls for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns in his three-year career.
—Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
His nine balls hit at least 105 mph are tied for fourth-most in the major leagues.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
An inning later, Schneider watched four balls fly by once again.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Trendy micellar water contains tiny balls of oil molecules suspended in water and, in my opinion as a beauty expert, is better for a light cleanse and for those who wear minimal makeup or have sensitive skin.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
David Kundrat came into his senior season known mostly as a defensive specialist, praised by his Lockport coaches and teammates for the ability to chase balls down and make highlight-reel catches in center field.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Players like redshirt junior Boen Phelps, expected to be the Broncos’ leading linebacker in 2026, have to deal with tackling the human bowling balls that are running backs Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2026
Customs and Border Protection rules say that pepper balls and other projectiles should not be aimed at vulnerable areas such as the head or spine unless deadly force is justified.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 9 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
Scoop the mixture into golf ball-size portions and roll into balls.
—Laura McLively, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
The 24-year-old has played in 46 games for the Packers, catching 108 balls for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns in his three-year career.
—Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
His nine balls hit at least 105 mph are tied for fourth-most in the major leagues.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
An inning later, Schneider watched four balls fly by once again.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Trendy micellar water contains tiny balls of oil molecules suspended in water and, in my opinion as a beauty expert, is better for a light cleanse and for those who wear minimal makeup or have sensitive skin.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
David Kundrat came into his senior season known mostly as a defensive specialist, praised by his Lockport coaches and teammates for the ability to chase balls down and make highlight-reel catches in center field.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Players like redshirt junior Boen Phelps, expected to be the Broncos’ leading linebacker in 2026, have to deal with tackling the human bowling balls that are running backs Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2026
Customs and Border Protection rules say that pepper balls and other projectiles should not be aimed at vulnerable areas such as the head or spine unless deadly force is justified.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 9 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
-
Waits rounds out the cast as an alien named Eyera.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Golshifteh Farahani rounds out the cast for the project that has a script from David Weil.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The finished structure had a contact angle of 153°, meaning water simply rolls off.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Like its opponent, Denver rolls with an intrepid freshman goalie.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balls. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
