I.
noun
1 round object in games
ADJECTIVE
▪ bowling , cricket , golf , ping-pong/Ping-Pong™ , rugby , soccer ( esp. AmE ), tennis , etc.
▪ beach
▪ match , practice
▪ rubber
VERB + BALL
▪ play with
▪ head , hit , kick
▪
The kids love to kick a ~ against my wall.
▪ throw , toss
▪ bowl , pitch
▪ bat , blast , drive , pound , strike
▪ roll
▪ bounce , dribble
▪ chip , volley
▪ clear , cross , pass
▪ move , run
▪ catch , stop
▪
He caught the ~.
▪ control , trap
▪ get , grab , steal
▪ chase
▪ retrieve , run down
▪ return
▪
The fielders try to retrieve the ~ quickly and return it to the bowler.
▪ miss
▪
The catcher missed the ~.
▪ drop , let go of
▪
Oh no! He's dropped the ~.
▪ handle , touch
▪ give away ( BrE ), lose
▪ win ( esp. BrE )
▪ keep , retain ( BrE )
BALL + VERB
▪ go , travel
▪ float , fly , roll , sail , soar
▪
The ~ flew over the fence.
▪ spin
▪ hit , land , strike
▪
The ~ hit me on the head.
▪ bounce , rebound , ricochet
BALL + NOUN
▪ game
▪ control , handling , skills
▪
His ~ control was excellent.
▪ carrier , handler (both AmE )
▪
He's an excellent ~ handler.
2 ( AmE ) baseball
ADJECTIVE
▪ college
▪ pro , professional
VERB + BALL
▪ play
BALL + NOUN
▪ player
▪ team
▪ cap
3 kick/hit of a ball
ADJECTIVE
▪ loose
▪ high , low
▪
He sent over a high ~.
▪ long , short
▪ quick , slow
▪ good , great , superb (all esp. BrE )
▪ bad ( esp. BrE )
▪ curve (= that changes direction unpredictably) ( esp. AmE )
▪
The plot throws a few curve ~s along the way to keep you guessing. ( figurative )
▪ foul
▪ hand (usually handball ) (in football/soccer)
▪
He was penalized for handball.
VERB + BALL
▪ play , send
▪ pick up , pounce on , punish
▪
He pounced on a loose ~ and scored.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ from
▪
a great ~ from Rooney
4 round object like a ball
ADJECTIVE
▪ tight
▪ fiery
▪
The sun was a fiery ~, low on the hills.
▪ crystal
▪
Without a crystal ~ it's impossible to say where we'll be next year.
▪ cannon
▪ wrecking
▪ cotton ( AmE )
▪ disco
▪ medicine (= heavy ball used as a weight)
VERB + BALL
▪ curl (up) into , roll (up) into
▪
The little girl curled up into a ~ in her mother's arms.
▪ form sth into , make sth into , roll sth (up) into , screw sth (up) into , shape sth into
▪
He screwed the letter up into a tight ~.
PHRASES
▪ a ~ and chain ( figurative )
▪
The responsibility was a ~ and chain around my ankle.
5 party
ADJECTIVE
▪ charity ( esp. BrE ), college ( BrE ), hunt ( BrE )
▪ costume , fancy-dress ( esp. BrE ), masked
▪
We're going to a masked ~.
VERB + BALL
▪ have , hold , organize
▪
We're organizing a charity ~.
▪ attend , go to
BALL + NOUN
▪ dress , gown
PREPOSITION
▪ at a/the ~
▪
She met him at the ~.
II.
verb
Ball is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ fist
Ball is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ fist