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
Five of them will be white balls with numbers from 1 to 70. Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 27 June 2026 Sell any unused, yet intact, workout equipment through your local marketplace, and don’t forget about the smaller, less bulky gear like dumbbells and stability balls. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2026 Nothing’s more frustrating than opening your suitcase to find your cutest tops looking like they’ve been crumpled into paper balls. Kenedee Fowler, Southern Living, 26 June 2026 India endured a poor fielding display to limit Bangladesh to 136-8, then chased that down at 139-5 with 19 balls remaining at Old Trafford. ABC News, 25 June 2026 Carriage rides and Regency-era balls ensue. Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026 Grown men took delight in hitting one of the beach balls — some painted like soccer balls — that floated through the air during the walk, which started at the Power & Light District, went down Grand Boulevard and ended at Fan Fest. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026 Instead of requiring expensive gear and access to an ice rink, the program provides kids with free sticks, balls and instruction while teaching the fundamentals of hockey on gym floors, basketball courts and outdoor rinks. Tori Mason, CBS News, 25 June 2026 No balls were kicked around, but a first impression was made about a pitch that’s cropped tighter than a Pebble Beach fairway yet in impressive shape after four games over 11 days. Cam Inman, Mercury News, 25 June 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
  • To determine the velocities of both spheres after collision, physicists use the fact that the total energy and momentum are the same before and after the collision.
    Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 23 June 2026
  • Kirk helped popularize some of the principles of Seven Mountains, introducing the idea of the seven spheres to his millions of followers.
    Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • Three bullets recovered from Edwards' body matched the shell casings recovered from the car earlier in the investigation, according to court documents.
    JT Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 23 June 2026
  • Because of the bullets that pierced his mother, he was deprived of blood and oxygen for critical minutes just prior to his birth.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • As the name implies, this is the second iteration of the show; this time around will feature dances and music from Armenia to India to Sweden to Mexico.
    Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 24 June 2026
  • Brandon also participated in ceremonial dances and wore traditional regalia.
    Veronica Fulton, NBC news, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • Graciano adds aroma and structure and Mazuelo rounds things out with juicy fruit flavors and a hint of spice.
    Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 26 June 2026
  • The lesson is that Cape Verde got within one game of the world’s knockout rounds not despite its scarcity but through it — by building the focused discipline that constraint forces, organizing a diaspora most would write off as loss, and competing to endure rather than to dazzle.
    Sylvana Quader Sinha, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Noun
  • In another Amsterdam photo, a pair of identical world globes, recalling Ghirri’s passion for cartography and atlases, rest on matching supports to conjure that oldest of surrealist tropes, a pair of staring eyes.
    James Quandt, Artforum, 2 June 2026
  • 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
Noun
  • At one point in March, Syria accused Hezbollah of launching artillery shells across the border toward Syrian army positions, which Hezbollah denied.
    ABC News, ABC News, 28 June 2026
  • The recreational use of bigger display fireworks, such as salutes that contain two grains – 130 milligrams – of explosive materials and professional-grade aerial shells with more than 60 grams of pyrotechnic compositions isn't allowed.
    Finch Walker, USA Today, 27 June 2026
Noun
  • Their stores specialize in dresses for proms, weddings, special occasions and quinceañeras.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • Still, as the footage rolls on, something begins to shift in the room.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 27 June 2026
  • So leadership allocates budget, buys a new AI tool and rolls it out with their fingers crossed.
    James Roth, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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