balls
Britishplural noun
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the testicles
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so as to be rendered powerless
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nonsense; rubbish
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courage; forcefulness
interjection
Usage
Both its anatomical senses and its various extended senses nowadays have far less impact than they used to, and seem unlikely to cause offence, though some older or more conservative people may object. Interestingly, its use in the sense of courage is exactly paralleled in the Spanish term «cojones»
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It will mean accepting once again, however painful it may be, that balls and strikes are whatever the umpire says they are.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
The morning's play began in sensational fashion when Aitchison took two wickets in two balls in the first over.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
She can rebound and scrap for loose balls too, and with Ariel Atkins reportedly being traded, Rice could play a big role.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
That’s what happens when you have a fastball that reaches 100 miles per hour, a disappearing splitter and an array of breaking balls with inconceivable movement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
A bunch of young men in tattered coats and hats were pelting each other with balls of ice, roaring with laughter like kids having a snowball fight.
From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
