eightball

[ eyt-bawl ]

noun

Pool.
- a black ball marked with the number eight.
- a game in which one player or side must pocket all of either the solid-color balls or the striped ones before being permitted to attempt the pocketing of the eightball, which wins.
Slang. an inept person.

Idioms about eightball

behind the eightball, Informal. in a difficult, disadvantageous, or uncomfortable situation: He hasn't studied all term, and now he's behind the eightball.

Origin of eightball

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; eight + ball¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use eightball in a sentence

On the other hand, if you'r smoking eight joints a day, or doing an eight-ball of crystal meth, price starts to matter a lot.
What Price Drug Use? | Megan McArdle | May 30, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Wallin was allegedly recorded suggesting the UC buy “an eight-ball,” an eighth of an ounce, or 3.5 grams, for $500.
Monsignor Meth Kevin Wallin: The Kinky Priest Who Sold Meth | Michael Daly | January 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
So from the very beginning I started really behind the eight-ball.
Teddy Recollects | The Daily Beast | September 14, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
It wasn't me he meant—they call me "Champ," I suppose because I beat them all shooting eight-ball pool.
The Day of the Boomer Dukes | Frederik Pohl

British Dictionary definitions for eight ball

eight ball

nounUS and Canadian

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

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