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
Particularly, soccer balls are having a moment in America, and the numbers don’t lie. Dian Zhang, USA Today, 2 July 2026 Each part looks radically different today than when players first started knocking balls around hundreds of years ago. Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 2 July 2026 Dumber than not being able to challenge obviously miscalled balls and strikes in a pre-ABS baseball world. Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 The first shipment of Senda soccer balls arrived in May 2011. Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026 How to play Powerball lottery game To score a jackpot in Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball. Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026 Dryer Balls Wool dryer balls reduce static by equalizing electrons and ions in the dryer. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 2 July 2026 Meanwhile, Maura Higgins went fully on-theme, wearing all white and picking heels with tiny tennis balls attached. Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 Watson plays superb defense, using his speed, and excellent reactions to track down balls. Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 1 July 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
  • Butter yellow French tips cut away to reveal sheer spheres of apricot jam.
    Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 29 June 2026
  • Stephen worked at Weber Brothers Metal Works at the time, welding half spheres together to make buoys.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026
Noun
  • Education officials visited the company’s headquarters to see how the product worked and found that bullets did not penetrate the glass.
    Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Neighbors called 911 when stray bullets entered a child’s bedroom in a nearby house, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
    Taylor Croft, AJC.com, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • For Midsummer this June, traditional festivities celebrating the summer solstice across Europe featured flower crowns, dances around maypoles, and people in embroidered folk costumes.
    Francesca Perry, Vogue, 29 June 2026
  • Arwood dances during the talent preliminary competition of the Miss Georgia Scholarship Competition.
    Kaitlyn Harvey, AJC.com, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • Canada, a little unlucky to lose so heavily, has made history this summer after making the knockout rounds for the first time and will have undoubtedly spread joy and inspired a new generation in the country.
    Ben Church, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
  • Throughout the tournament’s history, hosts have hugely overperformed at the World Cup, reaching knockout rounds 91% of the time, semifinals 57%, and the championship 26%.
    Michael Morris, Time, 1 July 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
  • The capital’s traditional Independence Day show had 10,000 shells lasting 18 minutes.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Organizers said the display featured three times as many fireworks shells as in previous years — the largest fireworks Stars & Stripes show to date.
    Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2026
Noun
  • Dunkin’ Prom, which funds alternative proms for teens who may have missed theirs for medical reasons and lastly, grants to customize hospital spaces to create joy.
    Zuri Primos June 29, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2026
  • Their stores specialize in dresses for proms, weddings, special occasions and quinceañeras.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026
Verb
  • Scottie Scheffler’s birdie putt to tie Viktor Hovland rolls just left of the hole.
    Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026
  • Brush rolls with egg mixture and evenly sprinkle with 4 teaspoons sesame seeds.
    ABC News, ABC News, 29 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balls. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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