German word

Ball

Pronunciation

IPA/bal/

Meaning

  • masculine nounball

Example

Die Bälle liegen im Korb.

The balls are in the basket.

Illustration for Ball (ball)

More examples

Er wirft den Ball weit.

He throws the ball far.

Core concept

A kicked or thrown sphere stands beside a grand ballroom filled with dancing guests.

Common phrases

  • mit dem Ball spielen

    play with the ball

  • einen Ball werfen

    throw a ball

  • den Ball fangen

    catch the ball

Similar words

Fußball: A fairly large, air-filled ball kicked in soccer.
Basketball: A large, air-filled ball handled by hand in basketball.
Tennisball: A small, bouncy ball struck back and forth with rackets.

Definition in German

Ein runder Gegenstand, der zum Spielen, Werfen oder Schießen benutzt wird; auch ein festlicher Tanzabend.

Word origin

German borrowed the play-object sense through French balle and the dance sense from French bal, which traces back through Italian ballo to Latin ballare.

Usage tips

  • Ball is masculine, so the definite forms are der Ball and die Bälle, while the same plural serves both meanings.

Other meanings

  • formal dancenoun

Related words

  • Ballspielball gamenoun
  • Handballhandballnoun
  • Tanzballformal dancenoun

Word lists with this word