balls
Britishplural noun
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the testicles
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so as to be rendered powerless
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nonsense; rubbish
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courage; forcefulness
interjection
Usage
Both its anatomical senses and its various extended senses nowadays have far less impact than they used to, and seem unlikely to cause offence, though some older or more conservative people may object. Interestingly, its use in the sense of courage is exactly paralleled in the Spanish term «cojones»
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.
The story, they kept saying, was not supposed to be about Andy Kim, or pepper balls, or the spectacle outside the gates.
From Slate • May 29, 2026
A father who lives next to a golf course is bemoaning the number of wayward balls that hit his home and says a child could end up in a coma if they were hit.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
“From a young age, you’re hopping in a cage and getting balls chucked at you.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Openers Alice Capsey and Sophia Dunkley fell cheaply before Amy Jones made a fluent 67 from 48 balls, but the run-rate climbed out of control as they collapsed from 120-3.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Brigit dropped to her knees and unpacked her satchel, setting out the balls of yarn and her knitting needles.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
