golf ball

American  

noun

1. a small, white ball with a tough cover and a resilient core of rubber, used in playing golf.

2. a ball-shaped printing element on certain electric typewriters.

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golf ball British  

noun

1. a small resilient, usually white, ball of either two-piece or three-piece construction, the former consisting of a solid inner core with a thick covering of toughened material, the latter consisting of a liquid centre, rubber-wound core, and a thin layer of balata

2. (in some electric typewriters) a small detachable metal sphere, around the surface of which type characters are arranged

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Etymology

Origin of golf ball

First recorded in 1535–45

Example Sentences

He openly supports potential future rule changes that would rollback golf ball technology to limit players’ distance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

She hurled her golf ball into the grandstand, wiped away tears and was hugged by her husband, David Esch.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

And when the theatrical comedy is in jeopardy, revitalizing this type of juvenility for low-brow laughs, now tempered even further to be digested between phone scrolls, feels like a golf ball to the forehead.

From Salon • Jul. 27, 2025

Mr Dalton said: "The second I picked up the golf club and whacked that golf ball I loved it."

From BBC • May 31, 2025

I dropped off the oil tank, slipped on a golf ball, got up, dashed over the lawn, fell over an invisible croquet hoop, got up, then misjudged my jump onto the fence beam.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell