(architecture) An ornament resembling a ball placed in a circular flower, whose petals form a cup around it; usually inserted in a hollow moulding.

(mathematical analysis) A ball which contains its boundary, i.e., a ball which is a closed set.

The lump of pasty wrought iron as taken from the puddling furnace to be hammered or rolled.

(basketball, derogatory) A style of play where a single player tries to be the team's hero by taking and missing many low percentage shots.

A carnival game in which the player is challenged to bounce a ball off an angled board so that it lands in a basket.

The lens of a camera obscura mounted in a ball that fits a socket in a window shutter so as to be easily turned, like the eye, to different parts of the landscape.

The ball that is used to play a sport. / (squash) The state of play when the server can win the game by scoring one more point.

A fungus of the genus Tilletia; a puffball.

present participle of play the ball

simple past tense and past participle of play the ball