1
as in sphere
a more or less round body or mass
the little rubber ball used in racquetball a ball of string
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullet
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ball
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
When the ball missed, the mascots howled with laughter; one of them, a big yellow mountain lion, pounded the ground.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Stan Son, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Arrange dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Noun
Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
When the ball missed, the mascots howled with laughter; one of them, a big yellow mountain lion, pounded the ground.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
Isaiah Collier, who was balling out and playing 34 minutes a night, is most impacted.
—Stan Son, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Arrange dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ball
Verb
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That’s little comfort for those bound for Asia, which would then have to round Africa to do so, adding weeks to the journey.—
Flavio Macau,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
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Bushnell Park in Hartford rounded out Connecticut’s representation at 149th.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Khloe Pereira went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs, while Leah Perez finished 2-for-5 with a walk and four runs as Greater New Bedford (2-0) rolled to a 14-5 win over Dartmouth.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
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Bocce — an ancient Roman sport that evolved into a popular Italian lawn-bowling game — has rolled into breweries and bars, too.—
Brittany Anas,
Denver Post,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ball. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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