baller

[ baw-ler ]

noun

1. Also ball·a []. Slang.
   1. a successful person who has or earns a lot of money and lives a lavish, flashy, or extravagant lifestyle:

      I busted out my newly tailored suit and rolled in there like a baller, or at least I tried my best to.

      He’s a real baller now, upgrading from a bachelor pad to a penthouse.

   2. someone who is proficient at playing ball, especially basketball:

      She'll be taking her talents, as a baller and a student, to Davidson College this fall.

2. a tool that makes, scoops, or winds things into balls (used in combination):

   Using a melon baller, scoop out the inside of the apples, taking care to create a shell of even thickness.

   Just for kicks, they balled socks in a mechanical sock baller and shot them across the room.

adjective

1. Also ball·a []. Slang. great or excellent, especially in a flashy or stylish way:

   I'd never been inside that club before, and the place is baller—it’s going to blow you away.

Word History and Origins

Origin of baller¹

First recorded in 1580–90, ball ¹( def ) + -er ¹( def ) (in general sense “ball player”); in 1825–35 baller fordef 2, ball ¹( def ) + -er ¹( def ) (in sense “tool or scoop”); in 1985–90 baller fordef 1b, shortening of (basket)ball ( def ) + -er ¹( def ); in 1990–95 baller fordef 3, in adjective sense “great, excellent”; perhaps from ball ¹( def ) + -er ¹( def ), or from ball ²( def ) + -er ¹( def ), the spelling balla representing an African-American Vernacular pronunciation

Example Sentences

“Taylor’s a baller,” running back J.K.

From Los Angeles Times

“We all knew that he’s a baller. He’s always been a baller. It’s just about that luck piece. He’s been preparing. He’s been a warrior.”

From Los Angeles Times

When she later walked into the postgame news conference, she bore the swaggering smile of a baller.

From Los Angeles Times

NBA guards LaMelo and Lonzo Ball, and their parents, LaVar and Tina, are among the defendants in a pair of lawsuits by Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster.

From Los Angeles Times

LaVar launched the Big Baller Brand of merchandise and a family reality show on Facebook.

From Los Angeles Times