Ball — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈbȯl/

Meaning & Definition of Ball

Ball (noun)

  1. a round or roundish body or mass
  2. a spherical or ovoid body used in a game or sport —used figuratively in phrases like the ball is in your court to indicate who has the responsibility or opportunity for further action
  3. earth, globe
  4. a large formal gathering for social dancing
  5. a very pleasant experience, a good time

Ball (verb)

  1. to form or gather into a ball
  2. to have sexual intercourse with
  3. to form or gather into a ball

Ball (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a more or less round body or mass

    "the little rubber ball used in racquetball"

    "a ball of string"

    similar: globe, orb, sphere
    related: bead, globule, egg, ellipse, loop, oval, spheroid, circle, ring, rondure, round, chunk, clump, gob, hunk, lump, nugget, wad
    near: block, cube, rectangle, square

  2. 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"

    similar: bullet, pellet
    related: ammunition, cannonball, cap, cartridge, charge, dumdum, gunshot, lead, load, missile, pop, projectile, round, shell, shot, slug
    near: blank

  3. a social gathering for dancing

    "a ball to celebrate the inauguration"

    similar: cotillion, dance, formal, hop, prom
    related: blowout, celebration, event, festival, festivity, fete, gala, masque, masquerade, mixer, party, reception, shindig, soiree, hoedown, square dance

Ball (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to form into a round compact mass

    "balled up the paper and threw it at the garbage can"

    similar: agglomerate, roll, round, wad
    related: bunch, clump, lump, bead, pearl, pellet, pelletize, sphere
    opposite: unroll
    near: flatten, open, smooth, spread, unfold

Related Entry: Ball game (noun)

Ball game is a different word from Ball. The synonyms below are for ball game, not for ball.

  1. an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another

    "I'm still in this ball game, so don't count me out yet"

    similar: battle, combat, competition, conflict, confrontation, contention, contest, dogfight, duel, face-off, grapple, match, rivalry, strife, struggle, sweepstakes, tug-of-war, war, warfare
    related: horse race, nail-biter, showdown, clash, collision, discord, friction, argument, controversy, debate, disagreement, disputation, dispute, dissension, quarrel, row, wrangle
    near: concord, harmony, peace

  2. position with regard to conditions and circumstances

    "with the new regulations in place, investors are facing a whole new ball game"

    similar: deal, footing, picture, posture, scene, situation, status, story
    related: rank, standing, place, spot, state, score, status quo

Related Entry: Ball of wax (phrase)

Ball of wax is a different word from Ball. The synonyms below are for ball of wax, not for ball.

  1. something to be dealt with

    "We've moved all the boxes, but the furniture's another ball of wax."

    similar: affair, business, matter, thing
    related: consideration, issue, problem, crisis, crossroad(s), crunch, emergency, exigency, flash point, head, juncture, strait, zero hour, concern, trouble, worry, care, lookout, responsibility, deadlock, halt, impasse, stalemate, standstill, corner, fix, hole, hot water, jam, pickle, pinch, predicament, scrape, spot

Related Entry: Ball games (noun)

Ball games is a different word from Ball. The synonyms below are for ball games, not for ball.

  1. an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another

    "I'm still in this ball game, so don't count me out yet"

    similar: battles, combats, competitions, conflicts, confrontations, contentions, contests, dogfights, duels, face-offs, grapples, matches, rivalries, strifes, struggles, sweepstakes, tugs-of-war, warfares, wars
    related: horse races, nail-biters, showdowns, clashes, collisions, discords, frictions, arguments, controversies, debates, disagreements, disputations, disputes, dissensions, quarrels, rows, wrangles
    near: concords, harmonies, peaces

  2. position with regard to conditions and circumstances

    "with the new regulations in place, investors are facing a whole new ball game"

    similar: deals, footings, pictures, postures, scenes, situations, statuses, stories
    related: ranks, standings, places, spots, states, scores, status quos

Related Entry: Drop the ball (phrase)

Drop the ball is a different word from Ball. The synonyms below are for drop the ball, not for ball.

  1. to make a mistake

    "I'm so sorry I dropped the ball and forgot to buy the wine for the dinner party."

    similar: blunder, boob (British), err, flub, fluff, foul up, fumble, goof (up), louse up, mess (up), screw up, slip up, stumble, trip, lay an egg
    related: nod, bobble, botch, bungle, butcher, foozle, mangle, mishandle, muff, murder, miscalculate, misconceive, miscount, miscue, misdeem, misgauge, misjudge, mistake, misconstrue, misinterpret, misunderstand

Related Entry: On the ball (phrase)

On the ball is a different word from Ball. The synonyms below are for on the ball, not for ball.

  1. paying close attention usually for the purpose of anticipating approaching danger or opportunity

    "The cops in this town are always on the ball."

    similar: alert, Argus-eyed, attentive, awake, observant, open-eyed, tenty (Scottish), vigilant, watchful, wide-awake, on guard, on one's toes, on the alert, on the qui vive, on tiptoe
    related: alive, aware, conscious, sensitive, cognizant, heedful, keen, mindful, observing, regardful, sharp, sharp-eyed, hyperalert, hypervigilant, sleepless, wakeful, careful, cautious, chary, wary, prepared, ready
    opposite: asleep
    near: absent, absentminded, absorbed, abstracted, daydreaming, dazed, distracted, dreaming, dreamy, engrossed, faraway, insensible, oblivious, preoccupied, sleeping, unaware, unconscious, unknowing, unwitting, careless, heedless, inattentive, unheeding, unmindful, unthinking, unwary, unprepared, unready

  2. having the required skills for an acceptable level of performance

    "The new hire is really on the ball."

    similar: able, capable, competent, equal, fit, good, qualified, suitable
    related: accomplished, ace, adept, experienced, expert, master, masterful, masterly, practiced, proficient, seasoned, skilled, skillful, veteran, overqualified, prepared, schooled, trained, apt, ready, willing, all-around, protean, versatile
    opposite: incompetent, inept, poor, unfit, unfitted, unqualified
    near: inexperienced, inexpert, unseasoned, unskilled, unskillful, unprepared, unschooled, untrained, beginning, green, new, raw, untested, untried

Related Entry: Play ball (phrase)

Play ball is a different word from Ball. The synonyms below are for play ball, not for ball.

  1. to participate or assist in a joint effort to accomplish an end

    "She refused to play ball with the investigators."

    similar: band (together), collaborate, concert, concur, conjoin, conspire, cooperate, join, league, team (up), unite, make common cause, pull together
    related: connive, affiliate, ally, associate, combine, confederate, hang together, interface

Related Entry: Eight ball (noun)

Eight ball is a different word from Ball. The synonyms below are for eight ball, not for ball.

  1. as in outsider, misfit

    similar: misfit, outsider, bohemian, boho, counterculturist, deviant, enfant terrible, free spirit, heretic, iconoclast, individualist, loner, lone ranger, lone wolf, maverick, nonconformer, nonconformist, freethinker, character, codger, crackbrain, crackpot, crank, eccentric, freak, kook, nut, oddball, screwball, weirdo, aberrant, anomaly
    opposite: adherent, follower, supporter, sheep, conformer, conformist

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Ball

The most common words with a similar meaning to Ball:

globe, orb, sphere, bullet, pellet, cotillion, dance, formal, hop, prom, agglomerate, roll, round, wad

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Ball

Words with the opposite meaning of Ball:

unroll

Related Words for Ball

bead, globule, egg, ellipse, loop, oval, spheroid, circle, ring, rondure, chunk, clump, gob, hunk, lump, nugget, ammunition, cannonball, cap, cartridge, charge, dumdum, gunshot, lead, load, missile, pop, projectile, shell, shot

Near Antonyms of Ball

block, cube, rectangle, square, blank, flatten, open, smooth, spread, unfold

Word Forms of Ball

Inflections: balled, balling

Origin & Etymology of Ball

Middle English bal, probably from Old English *beall; akin to Old English bealluc testis, Old High German balla ball, Old Norse bǫllr, Old English blāwan to blow blow

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Ball

Words & Phrases Containing Ball

ball-and-socket joint, ball bearing, ball boy, ball cock, ball control

Frequently Asked Questions about Ball

What does "Ball" mean?

"Ball" means a round or roundish body or mass. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a round or roundish body or mass. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Ball"?

Other words for "Ball" include globe, orb, sphere, bullet, pellet, cotillion, dance and formal. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Ball" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Ball"?

There are 64 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Ball". Common alternatives include globe, orb, sphere, bullet, pellet, cotillion, dance, formal, hop and prom.

What is the opposite of "Ball"?

Antonyms of "Ball" include unroll. Near antonyms include block, cube, rectangle and square.

How do you use "Ball" in a sentence?

Examples of "Ball" in a sentence: "the little rubber ball used in racquetball"; "a ball of string"; "found a cache of musket balls while excavating the old fort".

Is "Ball" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Ball" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Ball" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Ball" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Ball"?

"Ball" is pronounced /ˈbȯl/.