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
They are won or lost on the ability to come up with loose balls. Tony Jones, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026 Other projectiles, including pistol shot and lead musket balls, were also found. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026 In it, a thin wooden beam with two lead balls on its ends was suspended from a wire at its center and then a structure that had heavier lead balls and was otherwise identical was stacked on top of the first beam. Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026 Schanuel had four hits in the series, including three balls with exit velocities of more than 100 mph. Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026 The Padres and Diamondbacks will play without the ability to challenge balls and strikes this weekend. Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 Scoop 12 x 1 1/2 teaspoons of pistachio spread into balls and place on the prepared tray. Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026 Harvey had been fully shut down, even restricted from using plyo balls or tossing a football. Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 Five of them will be white balls numbered 1 to 69. Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 23 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
  • The final day of the 2026 NFL Draft is upon us — and the Miami Dolphins should be quite busy as first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan rounds out his inaugural draft class.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
  • For flatter, crispier cookies, bake the cookie dough rounds immediately.
    Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balls. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

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