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a spherical or approximately spherical body or shape; sphere:
He rolled the piece of paper into a ball.
a round or roundish body, of various sizes and materials, either hollow or solid, for use in games, as baseball, football, tennis, or golf.
a game played with a ball, especially baseball:
The boys are out playing ball.
Baseball. a pitched ball, not swung at by the batter, that does not pass over home plate between the batter’s shoulders and knees.
Military.

a solid, usually spherical projectile for a cannon, rifle, pistol, etc., as distinguished from a shell.
projectiles, especially bullets, collectively.

any part of a thing, especially of the human body, that is rounded or protuberant:
the ball of the thumb.
a round mass of food, as of chopped meat, dough, or candy.
Slang: Vulgar. a testis.
balls, Slang: Vulgar.

boldness; courage; brashness.
nonsense (often used as an interjection).

bolus (def 1).
Horticulture. a compact mass of soil covering the roots of an uprooted tree or other plant.
Literary. a planetary or celestial body, especially the earth.
Mathematics. (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.
to make into a ball (sometimes followed by up):
The children were balling up snow to make a snowman.
to wind into balls:
to ball cotton.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.
to form or gather into a ball:
When the spun sugar balls, the candy has cooked sufficiently.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.
ball up, Slang. to make or become utterly confused; muddle:
The records had been all balled up by inefficient file clerks.
ball the jack, Slang.

to act with speed.
to stake everything on one attempt.

carry the ball, to assume the responsibility; bear the burden:
You can always count on him to carry the ball in an emergency.
drop the ball, to make a mistake or miss an opportunity at a critical moment.
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.
on the ball,

alert and efficient or effective:
If you don’t get on the ball, you’ll be fired.
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.

play ball,

to begin or continue playing a game.
to start or continue any action.
to work together; cooperate:
union leaders suspected of playing ball with racketeers.

run with the ball, to assume responsibility or work enthusiastically:
If management approves the concept, we’ll run with the ball.
start the ball rolling, to put into operation; begin:
The recreation director started the ball rolling by having all the participants introduce themselves.
a large, usually lavish, formal party featuring social dancing and sometimes given for a particular purpose, as to introduce debutantes or benefit a charitable organization.
Informal. a thoroughly good time:
Have a ball on your vacation!
George W(ildman) [wahyld-muh n] /ˈwaɪld mən/ (Show IPA), 1909–1994, U.S. lawyer, investment banker, and government official.
John, died 1381, English priest: one of the leaders of Wat Tyler’s peasants’ revolt in 1381.
Lucille, 1911–89, U.S. actress.
Contemporary Examples

ball was created bishop of Gloucester in 1991 at a ceremony attended by Prince Charles.
Prince Charles Provided Free House To Bishop Arrested in UK Child Abuse Probe Tom Sykes November 14, 2012

Forget those silly “games played with the ball”; they are far “too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind.”
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations Kevin Bleyer December 31, 2014

In 2013, Der Spiegel pressed him on his condition: Der Spiegel: Has a ball ever slipped out of your hands because of a tic?
Team USA Lost, but Tim Howard Is a Winner Emily Shire June 30, 2014

He gave in a little on the stimulus, but just enough to keep the ball rolling.
Obama’s Pretend Bipartisanship Eric Alterman August 18, 2009

Yet ball excites people because she has the guts to run in a tough district, and to do so at a tender age.
Coakley’s Lessons for Women Dana Goldstein January 21, 2010

Historical Examples

I bought a lot, thinking some one might get hurt at the ball game.
Frank Roscoe’s Secret Allen Chapman

The ball of red fire in the west was half below the rim of the distant peak.
The Spenders Harry Leon Wilson

The evening was closed by a ball given by the Prince to the ladies of the town.
Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745 Mrs. Thomson

It is a great game of ball; the bats are broad and light, and the ball is small and soft.
A Little Book of Profitable Tales Eugene Field

I almost had the ball, but my side hurt me so that I missed it entirely.
Marjorie Dean Pauline Lester

noun
a spherical or nearly spherical body or mass: a ball of wool
a round or roundish body, either solid or hollow, of a size and composition suitable for any of various games: football, golf, billiards, etc
a ball propelled in a particular way in a sport: a high ball
any of various rudimentary games with a ball: to play ball
(cricket) a single delivery of the ball by the bowler to the batsman
(baseball) a single delivery of the ball by a pitcher outside certain limits and not swung at by the batter

a solid nonexplosive projectile for a firearm Compare shell (sense 6)
such projectiles collectively

any more or less rounded part or protuberance: the ball of the foot
(slang) a testicle See balls
(vet science) another word for bolus
(horticulture) the hard mass of roots and earth removed with the rest of the plant during transplanting
(Austral) ball of muscle, a very strong, fit, or forceful person
have the ball at one’s feet, to have the chance of doing something
keep the ball rolling, to maintain the progress of a project, plan, etc
(informal) on the ball, alert; informed
(informal) play ball, to cooperate
set the ball rolling, start the ball rolling, to open or initiate (an action, discussion, movement, etc)
the ball is in your court, you are obliged to make the next move
verb
(transitive) to make, form, wind, etc, into a ball or balls: to ball wool
(intransitive) to gather into a ball or balls
(taboo, slang, mainly US) to copulate (with)
noun
a social function for dancing, esp one that is lavish or formal
(informal) a very enjoyable time (esp in the phrase have a ball)
noun
John. died 1381, English priest: executed as one of the leaders of the Peasants’ Revolt (1381)
n.

“round object,” Old English *beal, from or corresponding to Old Norse bollr “ball,” from Proto-Germanic *balluz (cf. Old High German ballo, German Ball), from PIE root *bhel- (2) “to blow, inflate, swell” (see bole).

Meaning “testicle” is from early 14c. Ball of the foot is from mid-14c. A ball as an object in a sports game is recorded from c.1200; To have the ball “hold the advantage” is from c.1400. To be on the ball is 1912, from sports. Ball-point pen first recorded 1946. Ball of fire when first recorded in 1821 referred to “a glass of brandy;” as “spectacularly successful striver” it is c.1900.

“dancing party,” 1630s, from French, from Old French baller “to dance,” from Late Latin ballare “to dance,” from Greek ballizein “to dance, jump about” (see ballistics). Hence, “very enjoyable time,” 1945, American English slang, perhaps back to 1930s in black slang.
v.

1650s, “make into a ball,” from ball (n.1). Sense of “to become like a ball” is 1713; that of “to copulate” is first recorded 1940s in jazz slang, either from the noun sense of “testicle” or “enjoyable time” (from ball (n.2)). Related: Balled; balling.

ball (bôl)
n.

A spherical object or mass.

A bezoar.

A large pill or bolus.

noun

A testicle; nut (1300s+)
A dollar, esp a silver dollar •Attested in the late 1980s as high-school student use (1890s+ Underworld)
The game of baseball (1860s+)

verb

To do the sex act; copulate with; screw (1940s+ Jazz musicians)
To have an especially good time; enjoy oneself in a relaxed and uninhibited way: A good-time town, where everybody comes to ball (1940s+ Black)

Related Terms

ball up, beanball, butterfly ball, cannonball, carry the load, fireball, forkball, foul ball, get on the ball, go for the long ball, goofball, gopher ball, greaseball, greedball, have a ball, junk-ball, keep one’s eye on the ball, meatball, not get one’s balls in an uproar, nutball, oddball, on the ball, play ball, play catch-up, sleazebag, slimebag, softball, sourball, that’s the way the ball bounces

ball and chain
ball of fire
ball up