ball valve
Americannoun
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a valve controlling flow by means of a ball pierced with an opening in one direction and fixed to rotate on a spindle at right angles to the opening.
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any valve that checks flow by the seating of a ball.
noun
Etymology
Origin of ball valve
First recorded in 1830–40
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.
Should you have a full-pressure leak, you can cut the copper pipe, slide on an open ball valve and use a press tool to crimp the valve onto the copper tubing.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2023
The device mimics the upper GI tract: an artificial stomach with a pressure pump, and a ball valve 'sphincter muscle,' leading up to the esophagus and throat.
From Scientific American • Aug. 22, 2015
He fitted the bucket with a hose that was controlled by a ball valve of the sort used in swimming pool plumbing systems.
From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2010
But any ball valve is rougher on blood cells than nature's leaflet valves, so surgeons at the University of Wisconsin have developed butterfly valves of Teflon that come closer to the original in design.
From Time Magazine Archive
The plunger is loaded with a spiral spring, and has a ball valve, as shown.
From Gas and Oil Engines, Simply Explained An Elementary Instruction Book for Amateurs and Engine Attendants by Runciman, Walter C.
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.
