Skip to content
APG.American
Pronunciation Guide
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

ball

/bɔl/

Press play to hear how to pronounce ball.

American Pronunciation Guide · 0:39
Watch on YouTube ↗

What does ball mean?

noun

  1. A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
  2. A quantity of string, thread, etc., wound into a spherical shape.
  3. A food preparation formed into a spherical shape.
More meanings (42)

noun

  1. In 3-dimensional Euclidean space, the volume bounded by a sphere.
  2. The set of points in a metric space of any number of dimensions lying within a given distance (the radius) of a given point.
  3. The set of points in a topological space lying within some open set containing a given point.
  4. A jacketed non-expanding bullet, typically of military origin.
  5. A roundish, protuberant portion of some part of the body.
  6. The front of the bottom of the foot, just behind the toes.
  7. The globe; the earthly sphere.
  8. An object that is the focus of many sports and games, in which it may be thrown, caught, kicked, bounced, rolled, chased, retrieved, hit with an instrument, spun, etc., usually roughly spherical or ovoid but whose size, weight, bounciness, colour, etc. differ according to the game
  9. Any sport or game involving a ball; its play, literally or figuratively.
  10. A pitch that falls outside of the strike zone.
  11. An opportunity to launch the pinball into play.
  12. A single delivery by the bowler, six of which make up an over.
  13. a kick (or hit in e.g. field hockey) of the ball towards where one or more teammates is expected to be. (Distinguished from a pass by a longer distance travelled or less specific target point.)
  14. An apparatus.
  15. An apparatus program with a ball.
  16. (slang) One thousand US dollars.
  17. A formal dance.
  18. (informal) A very enjoyable time.
  19. A competitive event among young African-American and Latin American LGBTQ+ people in which prizes are awarded for drag and similar performances. See ball culture.
  20. (obsolete) Such bullets collectively.
  21. (slang, vulgar) A testicle.
  22. (slang, vulgar) Nonsense.
  23. (slang, vulgar) Courage.
  24. (historical) A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; formerly used by printers for inking the form, then superseded by the roller.
  25. (historical) A large pill, a form in which medicine was given to horses; a bolus.

verb

  1. To form or wind into a ball.
  2. To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
  3. To gather balls which cling to the feet or skis, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls.
  4. (slang) To be hip or cool.
  5. To reject from a fraternity or sorority. (Ellipsis of blackball).
  6. (slang) To play basketball.
  7. (slang) Used to indicate general perseverance.
  8. To spend money extravagantly.
  9. To punish by affixing a ball and chain.
  10. Of bees: to kill (a wasp) by surrounding it in large numbers so as to raise its body heat.
  11. To operate (a vehicle) at high speed (whether balls-out, balls to the wall, or ballin' the jack, each of which comes ultimately from ball via a different route).
  12. (vulgar) To have sexual intercourse (with).

interjection

  1. An exclamation to inform players on an adjacent playing area that a loose ball from another game has entered their playing area; typically implies that play should be paused until the ball has been retrieved.
  2. An appeal by the crowd for holding the ball against a tackled player.

proper noun

  1. An English surname.
  2. A town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States.
  3. A hamlet in Egloshayle parish, on the eastern outskirts of Wadebridge, Cornwall, England (OS grid ref SX0073).
Wiktionary contributors Wiktionary contributors

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/bɔl/

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

He sat moodily on his perch and ruffled his feathers up until he looked like a mere ball of green and gold.
L. M. (Lucy Maud) MontgomeryAnne of AvonleaProject Gutenberg ebook #47
A party of girls, and one young man, on opposite sides of the car, found huge amusement in a game of ball.
Nathaniel HawthorneThe House of the Seven GablesProject Gutenberg ebook #77
More book examples (3)
But the cries and noise, and a ball which whizzed through Phileas Fogg’s hat, apprised them that the trick had been discovered.
Jules VerneAround the World in Eighty DaysTranslated by George M. (George Makepeace) TowleProject Gutenberg ebook #103
One of their cuirasses, pierced on the shoulder by a ball from a biscayan,9 is in the collection of the Waterloo Museum.
Victor HugoLes MisérablesTranslated by Isabel Florence HapgoodProject Gutenberg ebook #135
“If I can come again, we are still to have our ball. My father depends on it. Do not forget your engagement.”
Jane AustenEmmaProject Gutenberg ebook #158