Meaning of ball in English

ball

noun

/bɔːl/ us

/bɑːl/

ball noun (ROUND OBJECT)

any object in the shape of a sphere, especially one used as a toy by children or in various sports such as tennis and football:

a beach/golf/tennis ball

hit a ball Just try to concentrate on hitting the ball.

kick a ball They enjoy kicking a ball around the park.

throw a ball He could have thrown the ball to first baseman.

play a ball He had nobody to play the ball to in the box.

a ball rolls

a ball bounces

into a ball The kitten curled itself into a ball (= the shape of a ball).

Steve Wisbauer/Stockbyte/GettyImages

A1 [ C ]

a long piece of thread that has been rolled into a ball:

ball of string

ball of wool UK

ball of yarn US

Michael Burrell/iStock/Getty Images Plus/GettyImages

[ C ]

the rounded part of your foot or thumb where the toes join the foot and the thumb joins the hand

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[ C ] US

(also Christmas ball); (UK bauble)

a ball-shaped Christmas decoration for hanging on a tree

sergeyryzhov/iStock / Getty Images Plus/GettyImages

More examplesFewer examples

She kicked the ball so powerfully that it flew over the hedge.
He rolled the clay into a ball in his hands.
My golf was terrible today - I just didn't strike the ball well.
The ball bounced off the post and into the net.
He wound the string into a ball.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Spherical, circular and annular objects

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Toys & dolls

The foot

The hand

Objects & decorations connected with celebrations

ball noun (KICK/THROW OF BALL)

in football, a pass from one player to another:

Jones picked up a great ball from Campbell and rounded the keeper to score.

in cricket, a throw from the bowler (= person who throws the ball) to the batter:

He was beaten by a great ball that spun past his bat.

in baseball, a ball that is thrown to the batter but that the batter does not try to hit because it is outside the hitting area:

It's a full count: three balls, two strikes.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Football/soccer

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Cricket

Baseball & rounders

ball noun (BALL GAME)

[ U ] mainly US

any game that involves throwing and catching a ball:

play ball The kids were outside playing ball.

I like watching college/pro ball.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

General terms used in ball sports

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ball noun (DANCE)

[ C ]

a large formal occasion where people dance:

Did you go to the Summer Ball last year?

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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Celebrations, parties & special occasions

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ball noun (BODY)

informal

a testicle:

He noticed a lump in his left ball.

See also

balls

Idioms

the ball is in someone's court
behind the eight ball
have a ball
off the ball
on the ball
start/set/get the ball rolling
pick up/take the ball and run with it 

ball

verb [ T ]

/bɔːl/ us

/bɑːl/

ball verb [T] (MAKE ROUND)

to make something form a closed round shape:

She balled her fists so her nails dug deep into her palms.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Spherical, circular and annular objects

See more results »

ball verb [T] (HAVE SEX)

US slang

(of a man) to have sex with someone

Phrasal verbs

ball up

ball something up

(Definition of ball from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

ball | American Dictionary

ball

noun [ C ]

/bɔl/

ball noun [C] (ROUND OBJECT)

Add to word list Add to word list

a round object that can roll and usually bounce and that is used in many games in which it is thrown, hit, or kicked:

a golf/soccer/tennis ball

The ball of the foot is the curved part where the big toe joins the foot.

ball noun [C] (DANCE)

a large, formal occasion where people dance

infml A ball is also any very enjoyable experience:

"How was your weekend?" "We had a ball!"

Idioms

get/start the ball rolling
on the ball
take the ball and run with it
the ball's in someone's court

(Definition of ball from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

What is the pronunciation of ball?

Translations of ball

in Chinese (Traditional)

圓物, 球, 球狀物…

in Chinese (Simplified)

圆物, 球, 球状物…

in Spanish

pelota, bola, balón…

in Portuguese

bola, base, enfeite natalino…

in more languages

in Marathi

in Japanese

in Turkish

in French

in Catalan

in Dutch

in Tamil

in Hindi

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in Danish

in Swedish

in Malay

in German

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in Urdu

in Ukrainian

in Telugu

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in Italian

चेंडू, गुंडा…

ボール, 舞踏会, （正式な）ダンスパーティー…

top, balo, yumak…

balle [feminine], ballon [masculine], boule [feminine]…

pilota, ball…

bal, bol, ballen…

ஒரு கோள வடிவத்தில் உள்ள எந்தவொரு பொருளும், குறிப்பாக குழந்தைகளால் பொம்மையாக அல்லது டென்னிஸ் மற்றும் கால்பந்து போன்ற பல்வேறு விளையாட்டுகளில் பயன்படுத்தப்படும் ஒரு பொருள், ஒரு பந்து போன்று உருட்டப்பட்ட ஒரு நீண்ட நூல்…

गेंद, गोला, धागे का लंबा सा टुकड़ा जिसे गोलाकार गूंथा गया हो…

દડો, દોરાના લાંબા ટુકડા, તારને વિટાળીને બનેલો દડો.…

bold, kugle, nosser…

boll, ballar, testiklar…

bola tenis, bebola, testikal…

der Ball, das Knäuel, die Kugel…