meatball

American  

[meet-bawl] / ˈmitˌbɔl /

noun

1. Cooking. a small ball of ground meat, especially beef, often mixed with breadcrumbs, seasonings, etc., before cooking.

2. Slang. an awkward, clumsy, or ineffectual person.

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meatball British  

/ ˈmiːtˌbɔːl /

noun

1. minced beef, shaped into a ball before cooking

2. slang a stupid or boring person

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Etymology

Origin of meatball

First recorded in 1830–40; meat + ball ¹

Example Sentences

I always tell the departments, let’s choose meatballs and gravy.

From Los Angeles Times

When the bill was first presented earlier this year, one group called it a "poisoned meatball".

From BBC

After feasting on a diet of meatballs at home, they are then faced with curveballs and sliders that move with far more ferocity as soon as they go on the road.

From The Wall Street Journal

Maritati, which marries a few contrasting but smaller shapes, might get paired with small meatballs about the same size.

From The Wall Street Journal

If this World Series is going to turn into a food fight about the economics of baseball, Dave Roberts tossed the first meatball.

From Los Angeles Times