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noun
1.
a spherical or approximately spherical body or shape; sphere: He rolled the piece of paper into a ball.
2.
a round or roundish body, of various sizes and materials, either hollow or solid, for use in games, as baseball, football, tennis, or golf.
3.
a game played with a ball, especially baseball: The boys are out playing ball.
4.
Baseball. a pitched ball, not swung at by the batter, that does not pass over home plate between the batter's shoulders and knees.
5.
EXPANDMilitary.
a.
a solid, usually spherical projectile for a cannon, rifle, pistol, etc., as distinguished from a shell.
b.
projectiles, especially bullets, collectively.
6.
any part of a thing, especially of the human body, that is rounded or protuberant: the ball of the thumb.
7.
a round mass of food, as of chopped meat, dough, or candy.
8.
Slang: Vulgar. a testis.
9.
balls, Slang: Vulgar.
a.
boldness; courage; brashness.
b.
nonsense (often used as an interjection).
10.
bolus (def. 1).
11.
Horticulture. a compact mass of soil covering the roots of an uprooted tree or other plant.
12.
Literary. a planetary or celestial body, especially the earth.
13.
COLLAPSEMathematics. (in a metric space) the set of points whose distance from the zero element is less than, or less than or equal to, a specified number.
verb (used with object)
14.
to make into a ball (sometimes followed by up): The children were balling up snow to make a snowman.
15.
to wind into balls: to ball cotton.
16.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.
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On the ball
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
verb (used without object)
Verb phrase17.
to form or gather into a ball: When the spun sugar balls, the candy has cooked sufficiently.
18.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.
19.
Idiomsball up, Slang. to make or become utterly confused; muddle: The records had been all balled up by inefficient file clerks.
20.
ball the jack, Slang.
a.
to act with speed.
b.
to stake everything on one attempt.
21.
carry the ball, to assume the responsibility; bear the burden: You can always count on him to carry the ball in an emergency.
22.
drop the ball, to make a mistake or miss an opportunity at a critical moment.
23.
keep the ball rolling, to continue or give renewed vigor to an activity already under way: When their interest lagged, he tried to keep the ball rolling.
24.
EXPANDon the ball,
a.
alert and efficient or effective: If you don't get on the ball, you'll be fired.
b.
indicating intelligence or ability: The tests show your students don't have much on the ball. The new manager has a lot on the ball.
25.
play ball,
a.
to begin or continue playing a game.
b.
to start or continue any action.
c.
to work together; cooperate: union leaders suspected of playing ball with racketeers.
26.
run with the ball, to assume responsibility or work enthusiastically: If management approves the concept, we'll run with the ball.
27.
COLLAPSEstart the ball rolling, to put into operation; begin: The recreation director started the ball rolling by having all the participants introduce themselves.
Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English bal, balle < Old French < Germanic *ballaz; compare Old Norse bǫllr, Old High German bal, ballo, balla, German Ball, Dutch bal; perhaps akin to Latin follis leather bag; see ballock(s)
1175–1225; Middle English bal, balle < Old French < Germanic *ballaz; compare Old Norse bǫllr, Old High German bal, ballo, balla, German Ball, Dutch bal; perhaps akin to Latin follis leather bag; see ballock(s)
Related forms
ball·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To on the ball
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ball
"dancing party," 1630s, from Fr., from O.Fr. baller "to dance," from L.L. ballare "to dance," from Gk. ballizein "to dance, jump about" (see ballistics). Hence, "very enjoyable time," 1945, Amer.Eng. slang, perhaps back to 1930s in black slang.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
ball (bôl)
n.
A spherical object or mass.
A bezoar.
A large pill or bolus.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary
ball definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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on the ball definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
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