: a compact mass of hair formed in the stomach especially of a shedding animal (such as a cat) that cleanses its coat by licking
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebOf course, last February's crash was driven by a black-swan hair ball, the COVID pandemic. Bernhard Warner, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2021 The personal histories of Khan’s characters are so enmeshed that tracing back their connections is like trying to untangle a hair ball. Maureen Corrigan, miamiherald, 22 Feb. 2018 That means no plucking hair balls out of the intake, and no worry of the vacuum malfunctioning mid-cycle. Samantha Gordon, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2017 What drives the critics wild is her personal writing and its nonstop examination of self, one damn hair ball at a time. Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2017
Word History
First Known Use
1712, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
hair ball
noun
: a compact mass of hair formed in the stomach especially of a shedding animal (as a cat) that cleanses its coat by licking