balls
balls Lexical Profile
balls Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Plural form of ball: solid or hollow spherical or egg-shaped objects that are kicked, thrown, or hit in a game, or any round objects.
"The tennis coach collected dozens of yellow balls from the court after practice."
The testicles (vulgar slang).
"The soccer player doubled over in pain after being struck in the balls by a deflected shot."
Courage, boldness, nerve, or determination in the face of opposition or danger (vulgar slang).
"It took real balls to stand up to the board of directors and point out their mistake."
Plural form of ball: formal social gatherings for dancing.
"During the nineteenth century, the aristocracy hosted lavish charity balls every winter."
British Nonsense, rubbish, or foolish talk (vulgar slang).
"His excuse for missing the deadline was a complete load of balls."
• verb
To squeeze, form, or gather something into a tight round shape (third-person singular simple present of ball).
"Whenever he gets frustrated, he balls his hands into tight fists."
• interjection
An exclamation used to express annoyance, frustration, disbelief, or strong disagreement (vulgar slang).
"Balls! I left my wallet on the kitchen counter again."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a standalone plural noun meaning 'courage' or 'nonsense', or as an interjection, 'balls' is considered vulgar slang and is inappropriate for formal or professional contexts.