A ball is a round object that is used in games such as tennis , baseball , football, basketball , and cricket .

If you balls up a task or activity, you do it very badly , making a lot of mistakes .

dumplings made from ground matzo

so as to be rendered powerless

→ walk

to muddle or bungle

In cricket , a no-ball is a ball that is bowled in a way that is not allowed by the rules . It results in an extra run being given to the side that is batting.

a pitch aimed at the batter's head, in violation of the rules

a ball that bounces into the air after being hit directly into the ground by the batsman

a device fastened under the chin of a bull to mark cows it has mounted

the ball struck by the cue , as distinguished from the object balls

a way of referring to the ball when it is not in play and cannot be used by any player , usually because it has travelled beyond a boundary line

a ball from which a run is not scored

a ball or roll of dust and lint that accumulates indoors , as in corners or under furniture

→ fly 1 (sense 25 )

a batted ball that is not a fair ball

A golf ball is a small, hard white ball which people use when they are playing golf.

a ball thrown high by the referee between two opposing players to put it in play, as after a stoppage in which no foul or violation was committed

a form of → rotation (sense 4 ) played with nine object balls , in which the winner is the one who pockets the nine ball, either in sequence or by means of a combination shot

a small mark on a surface, such as a circular patch or stain , differing in colour or texture from its surroundings

a perforated metal ball filled with tea leaves and put in boiling water to make tea

A beach ball is a large, light ball filled with air , which people play with, especially on the beach.

(in the National Lottery draw ) a ball randomly selected after the first six balls, containing a number which influences the amount of prize money paid

A ball is a round object that is used in games such as tennis , baseball , football , basketball , and cricket.

a hard round blackish ascomycetous fungus , Daldinia concentrica, characteristically found on the bark of ash trees and formerly carried to ward off cramp . The specific name refers to the concentric rings revealed if the fungus is sliced

a conical rifle bullet , used in the 19th century, manufactured with a hollow base designed to expand when fired to fit the rifling

a person or thing that stinks

an English country game resembling cricket and played by young women

a game resembling cricket , still played by girls and women in Sussex , England

a game resembling baseball , played in a street , schoolyard, or other confined paved area, in which a ball is thrown forcibly against a stairway or wall so that it rebounds into the air, bases and runs being awarded depending on the number of bounces the ball takes before being caught by the opposing player or team

a very large inflatable ball made of strong elastic rubber , used for physical exercise and in physiotherapy

A trackball is a ball on some computers that you turn in order to move the cursor.

→ mothball

A cannonball is a heavy metal ball that is fired from a cannon.

a ball with a spinning action created by keeping the middle finger bent and flicking it outwards at the moment of release

a fancy dress ball

A costume party or costume ball is a party at which the guests try to look like famous people or people from history , from stories , or from particular professions .

the ball used to play cricket

If you say that someone, especially an expert , looks into a crystal ball , you mean that they are trying to predict the future . Crystal balls are traditionally used by fortune-tellers.

→ grounder

a slow pitch without spin thrown with the first knuckles , or the nails , of the middle two or three fingers pressed against the ball

a ball at which masks are worn

a large revolving ball covered with small pieces of mirror glass so that it reflects light in changing patterns : used in discos and ballrooms

any ball except the cue ball, esp one which the striker aims to hit with the cue ball

a small rubber ball squeezed in the hand as a means of relieving stress

a hollow rubber ball covered with felt , used in tennis

a hollow plastic baseball , one side of which is perforated to enable the pitching of various types of curveball : used in an informal variation of baseball

to deal with many different things at the same time

a hard ball used in billiards

a large soft rubber ball used by women during childbirth to give support and to aid pain relief