bola
Americannoun
-
Also a weapon consisting of two or more heavy balls secured to the ends of one or more strong cords, hurled by the Indians and gauchos of southern South America to entangle the legs of cattle and other animals.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bola
1835–45; < Spanish: ball < Old Provençal < Latin bulla bubble, knob; see boil 1
Vocabulary lists containing bola
Aztec, Maya, and Inca Empires - Introductory
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Aztec, Maya, and Inca Empires - Middle School and High School
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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.
But some opt for less physically demanding escapism in the form of "congklak" -- a counting game using seeds or stones -- or "bola bekel", similar to jacks.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
Even when the moves are executed expertly, as Mr. Damm’s are, a person riding a rola bola looks like a panda trying to snowboard.
From New York Times • Nov. 7, 2017
Abel tried swinging the stone around and around above his head with a gradually lengthening line and then releasing it like a bola.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
The only cotton left for us to harvest was la bola, the leftovers from the first picking, which paid one and a half cents a pound.
From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez
The Inka bola consisted of three stones tied to lengths of llama tendon.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
