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.
Another block and a half lands you at Barriles, decorated in Colombian flags and giant inflatable soccer balls while salsa blares at stupefying volume from the speakers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
Costco cut the price External link on a number of its private label items, sold under its Kirkland Signature brand, spanning bed sheets to golf balls.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
“The bottom half of the order, they were fouling off a lot of balls, we couldn’t put those guys out,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
England lose three wickets in space of five balls as New Zealand dismiss Harry Brook, Joe Root and Ben Stokes on day two of the first Test at Lord's.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
“Pink Floyds put balls in the Foo Fighter goal,” says Gillicut.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
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.
