Meaning of "ball" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD BALL

From Old Norse böllr; related to Old High German balla, Italian palla French balle.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF BALL

ball  [bɔːl]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF BALL

Ball is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb ball in English.

WHAT DOES BALL MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Ball

A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. In the context of sports, "ball" need not refer to a spherical object, as is the case in American football. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling. Balls made from hard-wearing materials are used in engineering applications to provide very low friction bearings, known as ball bearings. Black-powder weapons use stone and metal balls as projectiles. Although many types of balls are today made from rubber, this form was unknown outside the Americas until after the voyages of Columbus. The Spanish were the first Europeans to see bouncing rubber balls which were employed most notably in the Mesoamerican ballgame. Balls used in various sports in other parts of the world prior to Columbus were made from other materials such as animal bladders or skins, stuffed with various materials.

Definition of ball in the English dictionary

The first definition of ball in the dictionary is a spherical or nearly spherical body or mass. Other definition of ball is a round or roundish body, either solid or hollow, of a size and composition suitable for any of various games: football, golf, billiards, etc. Ball is also a ball propelled in a particular way in a sport.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO BALL

PRESENT

Present

I ball

you ball

he/she/it balls

we ball

you ball

they ball

Present continuous

I am balling

you are balling

he/she/it is balling

we are balling

you are balling

they are balling

Present perfect

I have balled

you have balled

he/she/it has balled

we have balled

you have balled

they have balled

Present perfect continuous

I have been balling

you have been balling

he/she/it has been balling

we have been balling

you have been balling

they have been balling

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I balled

you balled

he/she/it balled

we balled

you balled

they balled

Past continuous

I was balling

you were balling

he/she/it was balling

we were balling

you were balling

they were balling

Past perfect

I had balled

you had balled

he/she/it had balled

we had balled

you had balled

they had balled

Past perfect continuous

I had been balling

you had been balling

he/she/it had been balling

we had been balling

you had been balling

they had been balling

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will ball

you will ball

he/she/it will ball

we will ball

you will ball

they will ball

Future continuous

I will be balling

you will be balling

he/she/it will be balling

we will be balling

you will be balling

they will be balling

Future perfect

I will have balled

you will have balled

he/she/it will have balled

we will have balled

you will have balled

they will have balled

Future perfect continuous

I will have been balling

you will have been balling

he/she/it will have been balling

we will have been balling

you will have been balling

they will have been balling

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would ball

you would ball

he/she/it would ball

we would ball

you would ball

they would ball

Conditional continuous

I would be balling

you would be balling

he/she/it would be balling

we would be balling

you would be balling

they would be balling

Conditional perfect

I would have ball

you would have ball

he/she/it would have ball

we would have ball

you would have ball

they would have ball

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been balling

you would have been balling

he/she/it would have been balling

we would have been balling

you would have been balling

they would have been balling

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you ball
we let´s ball
you ball

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to ball

Past participle

balled

Present Participle

balling

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «BALL»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «ball» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of ball

ammunition · B and S · bullet · dance · disco · discotheque · drop · globe · globule · grapeshot · hop · knees-up · missile · orb · pellet · projectile · shot · slug · social · sphere · spheroid

TRANSLATION OF BALL

Find out the translation of ball to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of ball from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «ball» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 球
• Translator English - Spanish: pelota
• English: ball
• Translator English - Hindi: गेंद
• Translator English - Arabic: كُرَة
• Translator English - Russian: мяч
• Translator English - Portuguese: bola
• Translator English - Bengali: বল
• Translator English - French: balle
• Translator English - Malay: Bola
• Translator English - German: Ball
• Translator English - Japanese: ボール
• Translator English - Korean: 공
• Translator English - Javanese: Bal
• Translator English - Vietnamese: quả bóng
• Translator English - Tamil: பந்து
• Translator English - Marathi: बॉल
• Translator English - Turkish: top
• Translator English - Italian: palla
• Translator English - Polish: piłka
• Translator English - Ukrainian: м´яч
• Translator English - Romanian: minge
• Translator English - Greek: μπάλα
• Translator English - Afrikaans: bal
• Translator English - Swedish: boll
• Translator English - Norwegian: ball

10 QUOTES WITH «BALL»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word ball.

1

Gareth Bale

I probably prefer Spanish football to the others. It's very technical, the way they play; they keep the ball well, and whenever Spurs have played against Spanish teams in the past, they've always made it difficult for us.

2

Dave Barry

For me, the worst part of playing golf, by far, has always been hitting the ball.

3

Dennis Bergkamp

I love playing football, being out on the pitch with a ball, and I will be a little sad when that ends.

4

Harsha Bhogle

Like an author, a cricketer signs his name on every innings he bats or bowls in; indeed for every cricket ball that challenges him on the field.

5

Larry Bird

Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It's being able to take it as well as dish it out. That's the only way you're going to get respect from the players.

6

Larry Bird

It doesn't matter who scores the points, it's who can get the ball to the scorer.

7

Marco Chiudinelli

I struggled quite a long time with my backhand, which was one of my best weapons before my surgery. It took me a long time until I regained full confidence in it again and only tried to keep the ball in play at the start of the '09 season.

8

Roger Clemens

But I got a guy on third, I was in a jam the other day in a game, all those situations, when you need a strikeout there, in big spots. But we are very aware of that fact, that these guys put the ball in play.

9

Stefan Edberg

Since a month, two months ago, you know, I've started hitting the ball well. I'm playing some really good tennis. That really helps. I sort of have to motivate myself to get pumped up. It really helps my game a lot.

10

Danny Elfman

So, it becomes an exercise in futility if you write something that does not express the film as the director wishes. It's still their ball game. It's their show. I think any successful composer learns how to dance around the director's impulses.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BALL»

Discover the use of ball in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to ball and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious And ...

Features four hundred recipes for salsas, savory sauces, chutneys, pickles, relishes, jams, jellies, and fruit spreads, including instructions for beginners and tips for experienced cooks.

Judi Kingry, Lauren Devine, 2006

The Ball Book

People play a variety of games involving balls on the big ball that is Earth. Includes reading activities.

Margaret Hillert, 2006

Ball Tales: A Study of Baseball, Basketball and Football ...

This history of American sports fiction traces depictions of baseball, basketball and football in works for all age levels from early dime novels through the 1960s.

Michelle Nolan, 2010

Only the Ball was White: A History of Legendary Black ...

Tells the forgotten story of Black star-quality athletes excluded from professional baseball because of the big league's color line

Robert Peterson, 1970

Summer Ball

The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Travel Team!

Mike Lupica, 2007

Farrow and Ball

In Farrow & Ball: The Art of Color, Brian Coleman hosts a tour of cottages, castles, lofts and beyond that illustrate how paint and wallpaper are paramount to a room's overall design and feel.

Brian D. Coleman, 2009

Predator's Ball

Milken is purported to have offered to pay award-winning journalist Connie Bruck to stop work on this book, the fascinating story of how a singularly brilliant and intensely private investment banker essentially masterminded the creation of ...

Connie Bruck, 2013

Crystal Ball Reading for Beginners

"Alexandra Chauran, a second-generation fortuneteller, presents everything you need to know to begin doing crystal ball readings immediately.

Alexandra Chauran, 2011

Foucault, Power, and Education

Foucault, Power, and Education invites internationally renowned scholar Stephen J. Ball to reflect on the importance and influence of Foucault on his work in educational policy.

Stephen J. Ball, 2013

Soccer: Perfect Ball Control

Soccer Perfect Ball Control contains over 160 exercises and ball games as well as over 200 photos and 120 illustrations covering ball control, dribbling, dummying, passing, crossing and shooting.

Peter Schreiner, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BALL»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term ball is used in the context of the following news items.

Barn ball is time-honored rural Indiana tradition

Indiana's love of basketball is legendary. The passion for the sport runs down every country road. It's attached to trees, hangs on the sides of buildings and is ... «WTHR, Jul 15»

Ex-Ball State official still criminal target

MUNCIE – Ball State University says it still has not received any restitution from two securities fraud defendants who stole $13.1 million. «Indianapolis Star, Jul 15»

Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo Deserving Winners Of Golden Ball, Gloves At …

Lloyd won the Golden Ball Award at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA announced Sunday following the United States' 5-2 win over ... «NESN.com, Jul 15»

Four-Ball: Rory McIlroy's injury puts Open title defense in doubt

With the Monday morning news of a ruptured ligament in his ankle, world No. 1 Rory McIlroy's chances of defending his Open Championship ... «ABC News, Jul 15»

UPDATE: Foul Ball Injury at Hillcats Game Spurs Baseball Safety …

Stephanie Chapman says the ball popped up behind the batter into the stands so quickly, she didn't have time to react. Lynchburg City Stadium ... «WSET, Jul 15»

Ball Corp Delivers Optical Reference Flight Units

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., a unit of Ball Corporation (BLL ... Ball Corporation's GRACE Follow-On effort is an advancement of the ... «Zacks.com, Jul 15»

Great American Ball Park getting ready for All-Star Game

All the lights will be shining on Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park next week preparations have begun. Rick Stowe, the Reds clubhouse and ... «FOXSports.com, Jul 15»

Manu Ginobili announces he's coming back, as Spurs' strong …

But if they make one, it'll feel only right to see them do so with Manu on the ball, catching the defense off-guard with that herky-jerk style, making ... «Yahoo Sports, Jul 15»

Ask a Trooper: Is it illegal to have a ball hitch if I'm not pulling …

Q: I was wondering if it is illegal to have the ball hitch in the receiver of my truck if I am not pulling any trailers at that time? Also is it illegal to ... «Duluth News Tribune, Jul 15»

England put shirt on 'ball-deadening grip' for Rugby World Cup

The new jerseys, with 3D red rose, are more of a work of art and science but fans will have to shell out three figures and will the kit – and team ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»