balling

SayBAWL-ingUS/ˈbɔlɪŋ/UK/ˈbɔːlɪŋ/

Noun pluralballings (some meanings)

17 meanings of balling

Practice

1
verb
The -ing form of ball. Use it after am, is, are, was or were, or to name the action.
She was balling up the old newspapers to start a fire.
He kept balling the soft dough between his palms.
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2
noununcountable
When small bits stick together into clumps or balls.
Like the way wet sugar sticks together into hard lumps.
Too much moisture caused balling of the powder.
The flour showed balling as soon as it got damp.
Similarclumping, caking, agglomeration
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3
adjectivedialectalMulticultural London English
Alternative form of ballin'. Slang for living large or doing very well.
Ever since the promotion, he's been balling.
They showed up balling in matching designer outfits.
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4
noununcountable
Winding string or yarn into a round ball.
Like rolling a long piece of string round and round until it's a neat ball.
Balling the wool kept it from tangling on the floor.
She finished balling the thread before she started knitting.
Similarwinding
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5
nounslanguncountable
A slang word for having sex.
The song was full of bragging about balling and partying.
He couldn't stop talking about balling all weekend long.
Similarsex, screwing, banging, shagging
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6
adjective
Having to do with casual sex.
They lived a wild, balling lifestyle in their twenties.
The club had a loud, balling, anything-goes atmosphere.
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7
noununcountable
Curling the body up into a tight, round shape.
Like rolling yourself into a tight ball to stay warm in bed.
The hedgehog's balling protected it from the curious dog.
Balling into a tight shape kept the kitten warm overnight.
Similarcurling
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8
noununcountable
Wrapping something up into a round bundle.
Like rolling a loose blanket up into one round bundle.
Balling the leftover dough saved it for the next day.
The balling of the wet clay made it easy to store.
Similarbundling, winding
9
noununcountable
Knocking down a building with a heavy swinging ball.
Like smashing a sandcastle flat with one big swing.
Balling the old factory took less than a single day.
The crew started balling the condemned tower at dawn.
Similardemolition, wrecking
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10
noununcountable
A way of moving a tree by cutting its roots, then wrapping the roots and soil in a tied sack.
Like wrapping a plant's roots in a cloth bundle so it can travel safely.
The balling of the old maple took two workers most of the morning.
Careful balling protects the roots when a sapling is moved to a new bed.
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11
noununcountable
The act of shooting round, ball-shaped objects from a weapon.
Like loading and shooting marbles, but with heavy metal balls.
The balling of heated shot was a dangerous task aboard wooden warships.
Repeated balling left the gun barrel fouled with residue.
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12
noununcountable
When worker bees crowd tightly around their queen, often killing her by cutting off air or food.
Like a crowd pressing in so tightly that the person in the middle cannot breathe.
Balling can happen when beekeepers add a new queen too quickly.
The colony's balling of the old queen left the hive without an egg-layer.
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13
noununcountable
A buildup of snow or mud packed under a horse's feet.
Like snow sticking under your boots until you are walking on hard lumps.
Balling under the hooves made the pony stumble on the icy trail.
Riders check for balling whenever they cross deep mud.
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14
noununcountable
The act of pushing a large pill of medicine down an animal's throat.
Like helping someone swallow a big tablet by placing it far back on the tongue.
Balling the sheep took two people, one to hold and one to give the pill.
The farmer learned balling from the local vet.
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15
noununcountable
A buildup of soil and dirt on a bird's feet that can lead to infection.
Like mud drying hard around your shoes until it sticks in heavy lumps.
Balling on the hen's toes made it hard for her to walk.
Keeping the coop dry helps prevent balling.
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16
noununcountable
The act of cleaning out a pipe by pushing rocks through it with strong water pressure.
Like pushing a hard sponge through a straw to scrub the inside clean.
Balling cleared the blocked drain when nothing else worked.
The crew used balling to clean years of grime from the old pipe.
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17
nouncountable
A reading from a floating tool that shows how much sugar is in a liquid.
Like a tool that tells you how sweet the juice is by how high it floats.
The winemaker checked the balling before adding the yeast.
A high balling means the juice holds a lot of sugar.
Note

balling is a form of ball

ball, verb: To make something into a ball shape, or to stick together in lumps, like wet snow. Full entry

Forms: ballballs he/she/itballing -ing formballed past tense, past participle
Spelling: ball → balling: add -ing

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of balling apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This comes from the word "ball" plus the ending "-ing".