ballcock
Syllables: ball·cockUK/ˈbɔːl.kɒk/US/ˈbɔl.kɒk/
ballcock noun: an automated valve mechanism, attached to a large floating sphere, that controls the level of liquid in a cistern.
Noun
ballcock (plural ballcocks)
- An automated valve mechanism, attached to a large floating sphere, that controls the level of liquid in a cistern.
- Next he examined a faint trace of talcum powder on the inner rim of the porcelain handle of the clothes cupboard. It appeared immaculate. He went into the bathroom, lifted the cover of the lavatory cistern and verified the level of the water against a small scratch on the copper ball-cock.1953, Ian Fleming, “The Secret Agent”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 13
- Synonyms:
- balltap, float valve, ball valve
Synonyms of ballcock
- balltap
- float valve
- ball valve
Forms of ballcock
| plural | ballcocks |
|---|---|
| alternative form | ball cock |
| alternative form | ball-cock |
Origin of ballcock
From ball + cock. First attested in 1734.
Questions about ballcock
- What does ballcock mean?
- Ballcock means an automated valve mechanism, attached to a large floating sphere, that controls the level of liquid in a cistern.
- What part of speech is ballcock?
- Ballcock is a noun.
- How do you pronounce ballcock?
- Ballcock is pronounced /ˈbɔːl.kɒk/ (UK).
- What is the plural of ballcock?
- The plural of ballcock is ballcocks.
Words near ballcock in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: ballcock (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “ballcock.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/ballcock. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.