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eight ball

British  

noun

  1. (in pool) the black ball, marked with the number eight

  2. in a difficult situation; snookered

"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

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.

A day never passed without me fully aware that we now lived our lives squarely behind the eight ball.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

County is “behind the eight ball on that.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2024

Our magic eight ball reads: ask again later.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024

How can I make sure our financial future isn’t a magic eight ball?

From Slate • Aug. 26, 2023

"Who needs a magic eight ball when you have Madame Chocolata?"

From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene

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