ballpoint

American  

[bawl-point] / bɔlˈpɔɪnt /

noun

• ballpoints
  plural

1. a pen that writes using a small ball that picks up ink from inside the pen and transfers it to the surface.

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ballpoint British  

/ ˈbɔːlˌpɔɪnt /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ballpoints
  plural

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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

See Examples For:

ballpoint ballpoints

Neatly drawn in black ballpoint pen, the documents displayed what appeared to be official tables of production figures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Chow, a lawyer who is representing herself, smiled at supporters who waved enthusiastically from the public gallery as the hearing began, while Lee sat quietly in the dock taking notes with a ballpoint pen.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

Schneider, 42, is clad in several muted shades of green — a short-sleeved work shirt with a Bic four-color ballpoint in the left breast pocket, paint-spattered pants and lighter green socks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025

Dahl, who was born in the Cardiff suburb of Llandaff, produced the sketches in black ballpoint pen for the book Boy, which was published in 1984.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025

A slim ballpoint pen lay in his palm.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

In its 94 years, Fahrney’s has outlasted the advent of mass-produced ballpoints, the rise of email and text messages, and a pandemic that decimated newer downtown businesses all around it.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 14, 2023

Fancy pens or pencils are great, but we have plenty of standard ballpoints in the supply closet.

From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2019

But with the exception of my own handicap, I'm fine with the rest of the pen universe: your gels, your felt tips, your ballpoints.

From Salon ● Dec. 1, 2018

But many younger customers don’t even bother with ballpoints.

From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2018

He trades in fountain pens for ballpoints, Wilkinson blades and his boar- bristled shaving brush for Bic razors bought six to a pack.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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