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.
She says a flock of sparrows often fly to the seeds and fat balls she leaves outside her home.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Cardoso started her remarkable run of dismissals by taking wickets with five consecutive deliveries, spanning the last three balls of the second over and first two of the fourth to leave Lesotho sprawling on 8-5.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
There have been countless other important space-related milestones since Apollo 17, our last moon visit, but what’s more dramatic than bouncing around in one-sixth of Earth’s gravity and smacking golf balls between lunar craters?
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
He co-headlined with The Strokes on a lineup that also included Kings of Leon and Arcade Fire, the latter of which dropped giant light-up LED balls on the crowd as part of the performance.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
Natalie crawled inside anyway, squeezing in between beach balls and Styrofoam coolers and pool noodles that floated in the floodwater.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
