ball up

Idioms  

1. Roll something into a ball, as in She loved to knit and was always balling up her yarn . [Early 1800s]

2. Confuse or bungle, as in Jane got all balled up at the beginning of her speech , or Henry really balled up that exam . This term may come from the fact that when a horse is driven over soft or partly thawed snow, the snow becomes packed into icy balls on its hoofs, making it stumble. Another theory is that it alludes to the vulgar term balls for testicles. [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

A batter later, the Rockies’ diving third baseman Karros made a nifty play to throw out Teoscar Hernández after he drilled a ball up the line — holding Freeman at third in the process.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

His advice to Contreras for whenever the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge came to the plate was simply to keep the ball up and away, then pound him hard inside.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

He hit superb lines, either hitting the ball up bravely into the heart of Wales defence or acting as a decoy, and worked instinctively with Northampton team-mate Fraser Dingwall inside him at 12.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026

Dupont reacted fastest, picking the ball up and strolling past the bemused La Rochelle pack to score.

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

They ball up their fists and state their goals out loud.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris