Definition of "ball"

A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.

1. A quantity of string, thread, etc., wound into a spherical shape.  examples

(mathematics) Homologue or analogue of a disk in the Euclidean plane.

1. (mathematics) In 3-dimensional Euclidean space, the volume bounded by a sphere.  examples

2. (mathematics) The set of points in a metric space of any number of dimensions lying within a given distance (the radius) of a given point.  examples

3. (mathematics) The set of points in a topological space lying within some open set containing a given point.  examples

(ballistics, firearms) A solid, spherical nonexplosive missile for a cannon, rifle, gun, etc.

1. A jacketed non-expanding bullet, typically of military origin.  examples

2. (uncountable, obsolete) Such bullets collectively.  quotations

   Quotations

   • […] the Good Old Cause, which, as they seemed to represent it, smelt of Gunpowder and ball […]

     1659, Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, England’s Confusion‎, London, page 7

   • I gave each of them a Musket with a Firelock on it, and about eight Charges of Powder and Ball, charging them to be very good Husbands of both, and not to use either of them but upon urgent Occasion.

     1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], 3rd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], published 1719

   • […] some headstrong Maroons were using a soldier of Captain Craskell’s ill, and compelling him to write to his commander, that it was too late to do any thing good, and that they wanted nothing, having got plenty of powder and ball […]

     1803, Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons‎, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, Letter 5, p. 148

   • This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.

     1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 1, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, page 1

A roundish, protuberant portion of some part of the body.

1. (anatomy) The front of the bottom of the foot, just behind the toes.  examples

The globe; the earthly sphere.  quotations  examples

(sports, countable) An object that is the focus of many sports and games, in which it may be thrown, caught, kicked, bounced, rolled, chased, retrieved, hit with an instrument, spun, etc., usually roughly spherical but whose size, weight, bounciness, colour, etc. differ according to the game  quotations

1. (uncountable) Any sport or game involving a ball; its play, literally or figuratively.  examples

2. (baseball, countable) A pitch that falls outside of the strike zone.  examples

3. (pinball, countable) An opportunity to launch the pinball into play.  examples

4. (cricket, countable) A single delivery by the bowler, six of which make up an over.  examples

5. (soccer, countable) A pass; a kick of the football towards a teammate.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • After Essien's poor attempt flew into the stands, Rodrigo Moreno—Bolton's on-loan winger from Benfica who was making his full Premier League debut—nearly exposed the Blues with a lovely ball for Johan Elmander, but it just skipped away from his team-mate's toes.

     2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1-0 Bolton”, in BBC

(mildly vulgar, slang, usually in the plural) A testicle.

1. (in the plural) Nonsense.  examples

2. (in the plural) Courage.  examples

(printing, historical) A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; formerly used by printers for inking the form, then superseded by the roller.

(farriery, historical) A large pill, a form in which medicine was given to horses; a bolus.  quotations

(slang, countable, uncountable, singular only) One thousand US dollars.  quotations

(transitive) To form or wind into a ball.  examples

(metalworking) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.  examples

(transitive, vulgar) To have sexual intercourse with.  quotations  examples

(transitive, intransitive) To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls.  examples

(slang, usually in present participle) To be hip or cool.

(university slang) To reject from a fraternity or sorority. (Short for blackball.)  quotations

(nonstandard, slang) To play basketball.

(transitive) To punish by affixing a ball and chain.  quotations  examples

(Australian rules football) An appeal by the crowd for holding the ball against a tackled player. This is heard almost any time an opposition player is tackled, without regard to whether the rules about "prior opportunity" to dispose of the ball are fulfilled.  quotations  examples

A formal dance.  examples

(informal) A very enjoyable time.  examples

A competitive event among young African-American and Latin American LGBTQ+ people in which prizes are awarded for drag and similar performances. See ball culture.  examples