stress ball

American  

[stres bawl] / ˈstrɛs ˌbɔl /

noun

1. a small, pliable, typically round object that is squeezed with the hand to relieve muscle tension or improve grip strength.

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stress ball British  

noun

1. a small rubber ball squeezed in the hand as a means of relieving stress

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Etymology

Origin of stress ball

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

They are part stress ball, part status symbol.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Some children also benefit from a physical outlet for their anger, like ripping paper or squeezing a stress ball -- which more parents of boys encouraged than parent of girls.

From Science Daily • Nov. 18, 2024

Beth draws and uses a stress ball as she listens.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2024

“We’re of about the same age,” Muldoon told me over a Zoom from New York, twirling some kind of stress ball on the end of a short, braided leash for most of the hour.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2021

Next to them, Tommy and Sebastian were still balling up paper, although now they were using it like a stress ball and seeing which hand could squeeze it tighter.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin