"ball" meaning in English

See ball in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /bɔːl/, /bɑl/ [Canada] Audio: en-us-ball.ogg [US], en-au-ball.ogg [Australia] Forms: ball [singular], balls [plural]
enPR: bôl Head templates: {{noun}} [POS TABLE]
  1. A ball is a round thing. People often use them to play games.
    Sense id: simple-ball-en-noun-kUoTRvY4
  2. A ball is a formal dance.
    Sense id: simple-ball-en-noun-dZyaghdK
  3. the testicles
    Sense id: simple-ball-en-noun-y5wSsVy2 Categories (other): Slang
  4. "guts", fortitude, moral strength
    Sense id: simple-ball-en-noun-Soevcwcg Categories (other): Slang

Verb

IPA: /bɔːl/, /bɑl/ [Canada] Audio: en-us-ball.ogg [US], en-au-ball.ogg [Australia] Forms: ball [canonical], balls [third-person, singular], balled [past], balled [past, participle], balling [present, participle]
enPR: bôl Head templates: {{verb}} [POS TABLE]
  1. If you ball something up, you make it into a ball shape.
    Sense id: simple-ball-en-verb-T9H1rYnK
  2. sexual intercourse.
    Sense id: simple-ball-en-verb-3Emr3~W4 Categories (other): Slang
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ball",
      "tags": [
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balls",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The croquet ball was hit through the wicket and the game was over."
        },
        {
          "text": "A ball is hit with a racquet in tennis."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A ball is a round thing. People often use them to play games."
      ],
      "id": "simple-ball-en-noun-kUoTRvY4",
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "There is an inaugural ball following the swearing-in of the new President."
        },
        {
          "text": "Cinderella lost her glass slipper at the Prince's ball."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A ball is a formal dance."
      ],
      "id": "simple-ball-en-noun-dZyaghdK"
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Slang",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "John's balls ached because he hadn't had sex in two days."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "the testicles"
      ],
      "id": "simple-ball-en-noun-y5wSsVy2",
      "raw_tags": [
        "slang",
        "usually plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Slang",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "John didn't have the balls to quit his job, divorce his wife, and start a new life in Tahiti."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "\"guts\", fortitude, moral strength"
      ],
      "id": "simple-ball-en-noun-Soevcwcg",
      "raw_tags": [
        "slang",
        "usually plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "bôl"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɔːl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑl/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-ball.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-ball.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophones": [
        "bawl"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "ball"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ball",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balls",
      "tags": [
        "third-person",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balled",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balled",
      "tags": [
        "past",
        "participle"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balling",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "participle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Ball the cookie dough, wrap it in paper, then freeze it."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you ball something up, you make it into a ball shape."
      ],
      "id": "simple-ball-en-verb-T9H1rYnK",
      "raw_tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Slang",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "sexual intercourse."
      ],
      "id": "simple-ball-en-verb-3Emr3~W4",
      "raw_tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "bôl"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɔːl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑl/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-ball.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-ball.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophones": [
        "bawl"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "ball"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ball",
      "tags": [
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balls",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Countable nouns"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The croquet ball was hit through the wicket and the game was over."
        },
        {
          "text": "A ball is hit with a racquet in tennis."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A ball is a round thing. People often use them to play games."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "There is an inaugural ball following the swearing-in of the new President."
        },
        {
          "text": "Cinderella lost her glass slipper at the Prince's ball."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A ball is a formal dance."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Slang"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "John's balls ached because he hadn't had sex in two days."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "the testicles"
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "slang",
        "usually plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Slang"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "John didn't have the balls to quit his job, divorce his wife, and start a new life in Tahiti."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "\"guts\", fortitude, moral strength"
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "slang",
        "usually plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "bôl"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɔːl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑl/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-ball.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-ball.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophones": [
        "bawl"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "ball"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ball",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balls",
      "tags": [
        "third-person",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balled",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balled",
      "tags": [
        "past",
        "participle"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "balling",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "participle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Ball the cookie dough, wrap it in paper, then freeze it."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you ball something up, you make it into a ball shape."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Slang"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "sexual intercourse."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "bôl"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɔːl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑl/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-ball.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-ball.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophones": [
        "bawl"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "ball"
}

Download raw JSONL data for ball meaning in English (2.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-04-05 from the simplewiktionary dump dated 2025-04-03 using wiktextract (8c1bb29 and fb63907). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.