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Synonyms

cue ball

American  

noun

Billiards, Pool.

  1. the ball a player strikes with the cue, as distinguished from the other balls on the table.

cue ball British  

noun

  1. billiards snooker the ball struck by the cue, as distinguished from the object balls

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cue ball

First recorded in 1880–85; cue 2 + ball 1

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.

It's been over an extended period as well, and when he plays the cue ball sings.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2025

Standing over a pool table near the kitchen, he jabbed the stick at the cue ball, which harmlessly skittered off to the side without disturbing the rack.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2023

One of the prime candidates for extraterrestrial life in our solar system is Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter that in photographs resembles a cue ball covered in scratches.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2022

While he that showing them how to play pool, he shot the cue ball into the other balls on the break and the loud bang “freaked out” Cruz.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 31, 2022

It was impossible to hit the cue ball now without touching the pink.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

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.