mothball

moth·ball

M0437600 (môth′bôl′, mŏth′-)n.1. A marble-sized ball, originally of camphor but now of naphthalene, stored with clothes to repel moths.2. mothballsa. A condition of long storage for possible future use: put the battleship into mothballs.b. A condition of being set aside or discarded: have put the plan into mothballs.tr.v. moth·balled, moth·ball·ing, moth·balls 1. To remove (a ship, for example) from active service or use and put into protective storage.2. To defer indefinitely; shelve: mothball a project.

mothball

(ˈmɒθˌbɔːl) n1. (Elements & Compounds) Also called: camphor ball a small ball of camphor or naphthalene used to repel clothes moths in stored clothing, blankets, etc2. put in mothballs to postpone work on (a project, activity, etc)vb (tr) 3. (Nautical Terms) to prepare (a ship, aircraft, etc) for a long period of storage by sealing all openings with plastic to prevent corrosion4. (Commerce) to take (a factory, plant, etc) out of operation but maintain it so that it can be used in the future5. to postpone work on (a project, activity, etc)

moth•ball

(ˈmɔθˌbɔl, ˈmɒθ-)

n. 1. a small ball of naphthalene or sometimes of camphor for placing in closets or other storage areas to repel moths. 2. in mothballs, a. in reserve or storage. b. in a state of disuse, rejection, or repudiation: That idea belongs in mothballs. v.t. 3. to put into storage; inactivate. adj. 4. inactive; stored away: a mothball fleet. [1905–10]

mothball

Past participle: mothballed
Gerund: mothballing

Imperative
mothball
mothball

Present
I mothball
you mothball
he/she/it mothballs
we mothball
you mothball
they mothball

Preterite
I mothballed
you mothballed
he/she/it mothballed
we mothballed
you mothballed
they mothballed

Present Continuous
I am mothballing
you are mothballing
he/she/it is mothballing
we are mothballing
you are mothballing
they are mothballing

Present Perfect
I have mothballed
you have mothballed
he/she/it has mothballed
we have mothballed
you have mothballed
they have mothballed

Past Continuous
I was mothballing
you were mothballing
he/she/it was mothballing
we were mothballing
you were mothballing
they were mothballing

Past Perfect
I had mothballed
you had mothballed
he/she/it had mothballed
we had mothballed
you had mothballed
they had mothballed

Future
I will mothball
you will mothball
he/she/it will mothball
we will mothball
you will mothball
they will mothball

Future Perfect
I will have mothballed
you will have mothballed
he/she/it will have mothballed
we will have mothballed
you will have mothballed
they will have mothballed

Future Continuous
I will be mothballing
you will be mothballing
he/she/it will be mothballing
we will be mothballing
you will be mothballing
they will be mothballing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been mothballing
you have been mothballing
he/she/it has been mothballing
we have been mothballing
you have been mothballing
they have been mothballing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been mothballing
you will have been mothballing
he/she/it will have been mothballing
we will have been mothballing
you will have been mothballing
they will have been mothballing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been mothballing
you had been mothballing
he/she/it had been mothballing
we had been mothballing
you had been mothballing
they had been mothballing

Conditional
I would mothball
you would mothball
he/she/it would mothball
we would mothball
you would mothball
they would mothball

Past Conditional
I would have mothballed
you would have mothballed
he/she/it would have mothballed
we would have mothballed
you would have mothballed
they would have mothballed

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	mothball - a small sphere of camphor or naphthalene used to keep moths away from stored clothingcamphor ballglobe, orb, ball - an object with a spherical shape; "a ball of fire"camphor - a resin obtained from the camphor tree; used in making celluloid and linimentnaphthalene - a white crystalline strong-smelling hydrocarbon made from coal tar or petroleum and used in organic synthesis and as a fumigant in mothballs
Verb	1.	mothball - put into long-term storagestore - find a place for and put away for storage; "where should we stow the vegetables?"; "I couldn't store all the books in the attic so I sold some"

Translations

卫生球樟脑球

moth

(moθ) – plural moths (moθs) (American) (mo:ðz) – noun1. any of a large number of insects, rather like butterflies but with wider bodies, seen mostly at night and attracted by light. 蛾2. a clothes moth. The moths have been at my evening dress.蛀虫clothes moth a type of moth whose larva feeds on cloth and makes holes. 蛀衣服的蠹虫ˈmothball noun a small ball of a chemical used to protect clothes from clothes moths. 卫生球，mothball ˈmoth-eaten adjective (of cloth) eaten by moths. a moth-eaten blanket. 虫蛀的，蛀坏了的

mothball

in mothballs

In storage, either literally or figuratively. Mothballs—little balls composed of a pungent chemical used to deter moths—are often kept in closets, attics, and other places where clothes are stored. I'm so glad that I can finally get my summer clothes out and put my winter clothes back in mothballs. That plane is in mothballs while we wait for a new shipment of parts. I did like your idea, Tom, but we have to keep it in mothballs for now while we finish our outstanding projects.See also: mothball

bring (something) out of mothballs

1. To take an object out of storage after a period of disuse. Mothballs—little balls composed of a pungent chemical used to deter moths—are often kept in closets, attics, and other places where clothes are stored. Now that the weather is getting colder, it's time to bring our winter clothes out of mothballs. This new shipment of parts will allow us to bring the plane out of mothballs soon.2. By extension, to begin to use or implement something. I did like your idea, Tom, but we can't bring it out of mothballs until we finish our outstanding projects.See also: bring, mothball, of, out

put (something) in mothballs

1. Literally, to put cloths into storage, as in a closet or attic, often packed with mothballs to keep moths from eating the material. I'm so glad that I can finally get my summer clothes out and put my winter clothes back in mothballs. I'm putting my maternity clothes in mothballs, because we might try to have another baby in a few years.2. To store something, especially a vehicle of some kind, in reserve for future use. We put the plane in mothballs while we wait for a new shipment of parts. The famed warship has been put in mothballs after over 40 years of navy service.3. To put something on hold; to defer, delay, or postpone something until a future. I did like your idea, Tom, but we have to put it in mothballs for now while we finish our other projects. The city council has put the refurbishment project in mothballs due to a budgetary conflict.See also: mothball, put

bring something out of mothballs

Fig. to bring something out of storage and into use; to restore something to active service. They were going to bring a number of ships out of mothballs, but the war ended before they needed them.See also: bring, mothball, of, out

put something in mothballs

1. Lit. to put something into storage in mothballs. He put his winter coat in storage with mothballs each fall and had to air it out for a week each spring. 2. Fig. to put something into storage or reserve. (Often said of warships.) The navy put the old cruiser in mothballs and no one ever expected to see it again. Let's just put this small bicycle in mothballs until we hear of a child who can use it.See also: mothball, put

put in mothballs

Defer indefinitely or for a very long time, as in We've put the plans for a new library in mothballs. This expression alludes to storing woolen clothing or other items with marble-size balls of naphthalene or camphor to prevent them from being damaged by moths. [1940s] See also: mothball, put

in mothballs

unused but kept in good condition for future use.See also: mothball

mothball

moth·ball

mothball

moth•ball

mothball

moth

mothball

in mothballs

bring (something) out of mothballs

put (something) in mothballs

bring something out of mothballs

put something in mothballs

put in mothballs

in mothballs

mothball

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Synonyms for mothball

noun a small sphere of camphor or naphthalene used to keep moths away from stored clothing

Synonyms

Related Words

verb put into long-term storage

Related Words