ball up
Idioms-
Roll something into a ball, as in She loved to knit and was always balling up her yarn . [Early 1800s]
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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]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the eighth inning, he dove after a ground ball up the middle, as shortstop Mookie Betts hurdled over him, and was slow to get up, holding his right shoulder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
"That's how American football is when they throw the ball up to you, you attack it at its highest point."
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Playing with my back to goal and holding the ball up is my big strength. You don’t have to be a giant to play that target-man role.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
This gave their wing-backs time and space to progress the ball up the pitch.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
They started picking the ball up at midfield and either dribbling it themselves or passing it to each other.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
