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Slang dictionary results for baller.

baller

American  

[baw-ler] / ˈbɔ lər /

noun

• ballers
  plural

1. Slang. Also balla

   1. a successful person who has or earns a lot of money and lives a lavish, flashy, or extravagant lifestyle.

      I busted out my newly tailored suit and rolled in there like a baller, or at least I tried my best to.

      He’s a real baller now, upgrading from a bachelor pad to a penthouse.

   2. someone who is proficient at playing ball, especially basketball.

      She'll be taking her talents, as a baller and a student, to Davidson College this fall.

2. a tool that makes, scoops, or winds things into balls (used in combination).

   Using a melon baller, scoop out the inside of the apples, taking care to create a shell of even thickness.

   Just for kicks, they balled socks in a mechanical sock baller and shot them across the room.

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adjective

1. Slang. Also balla great or excellent, especially in a flashy or stylish way.

   I'd never been inside that club before, and the place is baller—it’s going to blow you away.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ballers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of baller

First recorded in 1580–90, ball ¹ ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. ) (in general sense “ball player”); in 1825–35 baller for def. 2, ball ¹ ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. ) (in sense “tool or scoop”); in 1985–90 baller for def. 1b, shortening of (basket)ball ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. ); in 1990–95 baller for def. 3, in adjective sense “great, excellent”; perhaps from ball ¹ ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. ), or from ball ² ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. ), the spelling balla representing an African-American Vernacular pronunciation

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baller ballers

I stood among them as I called Netflix and proclaimed I was not a baller.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

In terms of what makes a baller, Ndiaye says it's simple.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025

“It’s pressure in the beginning, but if you’re a baller, you’re a baller,” Josahn said of playing for his dad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2024

Doug Herzog, the former president of Viacom Music and Entertainment Group and the man responsible for hiring Stewart for the job back in the late ‘90s, described it to The Wrap as “a baller move.”

From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2024

She doesn't want us looking like basketball groupies 'cause she's a baller herself.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

Elite professional ballers — gold medal Olympians no less — would never be caught doing such a thing—until now, thanks to the brave women of the WNBA.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2025

“We have a lot of ballers that can play,” the three-time Pro Bowl selection said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2024

The World War Two veteran agreed to put together a crack squad of ballers and named his new franchise in honour of General Eisenhower.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2023

They were foul-filled matchups at the end of the 1990s, better fit for brawlers than ballers, and beautiful to watch only for someone who loves ferocious competition like Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 29, 2023

“We can’t all be ballers like Dray and your aunt Jo.”

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi