ballpoint

British  

/ ˈbɔːlˌpɔɪnt /

noun

1. Also called (Brit): Biro.  a pen having a small ball bearing as a writing point

---

Explanation

A ballpoint is a type of pen with a tiny metal ball at its very tip. When you write with a ballpoint, the ball rolls, spreading ink onto the paper. The most common kind of writing pen is the ballpoint or ballpoint pen. When ballpoints were first developed around the turn of the 20th century, they gradually replaced fountain pens, which actually had to be dipped in ink. Not only were ballpoints easier and cleaner, they were also less expensive. The word ballpoint, also spelled ball-point, was first recorded in 1946.

Example Sentences

He took a year out to apply to study law, during which he worked as a dustman, on a kibbutz and as a ballpoint pen salesman in South Africa.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025

He called her every day and kept a diary, sketching rap lyrics and poems in blue ballpoint pen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

Mitchell has been drawing for as long as he can remember, but it was a high school classmate pointing out the permanent nature of a ballpoint pen that led to his aha moment.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2025

Here are a few things Sister Aloysius cannot abide: ballpoint pens, “Frosty the Snowman,” long fingernails like Father Flynn’s, Father Flynn himself.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2024

“I’m...trying”—Sierra scratched furiously at the wooden boardwalk with the ballpoint pen, but only a few broken lines came out—“to make something I can shadowshape with.”

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older