balls 1 of 3

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
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

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Cite this Entry

“Balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balls. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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