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
Each ticket costs $5, and players may 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 Ball) - or select Easy Pick/Quick Pick. Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 30 May 2026 Early on in his first five, six starts, there were a lot of balls in play, obviously some soft contact, balls at guys. Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 30 May 2026 The remaining 10 teams that miss the playoffs and the play-in will all get three lottery balls — with the exception of the three worst teams in the standings. Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026 Fellow starter Joe Musgrove, who had a setback in his return from Tommy John surgery, began throwing plyo balls last week and is expected to play catch in the coming days. Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026 The agents fired pepper balls and chemical agents at the crowd, according to politicians at the scene. Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 29 May 2026 But Stephenson is not about to fall into the trap, as McCormack warns, of having balls bigger than his brains. Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 29 May 2026 Beating Northeastern 6-3 at Hoglund Ballpark, KU scored via balls hit both long (three homers in the second/third innings) and short (four singles for two runs in the eighth). Updated May 29, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026 Blundell improved his career-best 142 overnight to 186 off 292 balls with 22 boundaries. ABC News, 28 May 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
Noun
  • Craig points out that, unlike when creatives from other entertainment spheres like live theater get filmmaking opportunities, content creators come to Hollywood having cultivated an interactive relationship with an engaged fan base.
    Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
  • The cognitive, social, and algorithmic biases that emerge from technology evolution directly influence the social and political spheres.
    Paulo Nuno VicenteAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
Noun
  • Carney said antisemites in Canada have fired bullets at Jewish schools and thrown firebombs at synagogues and attacked community centers.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
  • According to the police report, his first three bullets hit Canty, Allen, and Ramseur.
    Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • These die-hard fans memorize songs, dances, and individual cheers for each player to keep the energy high, and their antics are at least as interesting as the action on the field.
    Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026
  • Also, get the chance to watch traditional dances.
    Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • Samsung, the world’s largest memory-chip maker and another trillion-dollar company, rounds out the three dominant companies in the memory-chip market.
    Mark Dee May 27, Idaho Statesman, 27 May 2026
  • Funding rounds across the AI stack, from foundation models and inference infrastructure to agentic software and autonomous systems, have become intensely oversubscribed.
    TrueBridge Capital, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Noun
  • Besides dusting, this includes wiping off the lightbulbs, removing any light globes to wash and dry them, and wiping dust from the fan’s motor and pull chain with a microfiber cloth.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 May 2026
  • The Ebern Designs Rhenn flush mount comes with three milky glass globes that give you plenty of light without blinding you.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 8 May 2026
Noun
  • Beach villas are A-frame with soaring ceilings and sculptural pendant lights that look like the shells that line the beach in front.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026
  • These beaches are some of the best in Florida for finding shells and fossilized shark teeth, especially near the fort and jetties.
    Taryn Shorr-Mckee, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2026
Noun
  • That philosophy extends across the property and informs its relationship with the local community, many of whom experienced the hotel through proms, weddings and milestone events over the decades.
    Jesse Scott, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
  • Year after year, high school proms become more over the top, from elaborate prom-posals to full-on photoshoots.
    Jermont Terry, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Verb
  • Statewide distribution rolls through WOW Spirits, with Texas leading and Florida, California, and Arizona next, prioritized by RTD market opportunity.
    Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
  • To him, every single robotic box that rolls off the assembly line represents a tangible step toward a completely staffless retail economy.
    Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 27 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balls. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.

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