Word.ws English Dictionary

balling

balling is the present participle and gerund of ball.

balling is the alternative form of ballin'.

Noun

balling (countable and uncountable, plural ballings)

  1. Aggregation into clumps or balls;
    • As preceding the gaseous states, Faye accepts one of "dissolution," and as the cause of the local accumulation of matter and heat in space, he, like others, regards the balling of matter through gravitation, whereby immense motion is converted into heat .1875, Bernhard von Cotta, The Development Law of the Earth, page 7
    • In other instances, where the blow on the cap was heavier, the flash was much longer and more powerful, and, if injected into a charge of very sensitive ntro, migh not improbably cause a balling of the shot .1897, Sporting Guns and Gunpowders, page 330
  2. The act of winding into a ball.
    • The balling of wool and other fibre is effected by winding on to pipes or tubes ordinarily formed of metal with small flanges at each end , and these pipes or tubes are supported between discs upon an axis to which the desired rotary motion is given for the formation of the balls.1867, William Colborne Brookes, “A.D. 1866, 29th August. No 2228: Balling Wool, &c.”, in English Patents of Inventions, Specifications: 1866, 2187 - 2232
    • The machine which forms the object of the present application for Patent is destined to do the balling of threads of flax, wool, cotton, silk, or other textile material.1878, Roméo Villain, “A.D. 1878, 7th February. No. 503: Machine for Winding up Threads of Flax, Wool, &c.”, in Specifications of Letters Patent for Inventions and Provisional Specifications, page 1
  3. The act of curling up.
    • Thus, in the candy-wrapping shops of a confectionery factory (where the women workers are for a protracted period in a sitting position and carrying out small-scope hand motions), the physical exercises included in the P.T. break were slow, unforced bends and straightenings, balling of the fists of...1961, Boris Gerasimovich Ananʹev, Psychological Science in the USSR, page 560
    • […] balling of the muscle, may not be obvious on the first examination because of swelling but may appear on a second or third exam .1983, Emergency Medicine - Volume 15, Issues 13-16, page 178
  4. The act of wrapping something up.
    • Even if we would like to think that we know something about these things, most of the brain's operations lurk veiled in mystery, wrapped in riddle, inside—well, you know (as I think Nauta did)...The allegorical balling of the cortical mantle cautions that all is not necessarily what it seems.2023, Daniel S. Zahm, Anatomy of Neuropsychiatry, page 321
  5. The act of cutting the roots (of a tree) about six inches from the stem, wrapping roots and soil in a sack, then tying the sack with twine.
    • These cases probably start in the majority of instances from an excessive flooding of the soil with water, put on either while the trees are growing to force them along or just before they are dug in order to assist the operation of "balling."1910, Ralph E. Smith, Elizabeth H. Smith, “California Plant Diseases”, in Bulletin: College of Agriculture Agricultural Experiment Station - Issues 206-219, page 1121
    • A Minnesota nurseryman invented the hydraulic balling machine, which has eliminated hand-balling of trees plucked out of the ground.1960 May, Sheldon A. Mix, “Flowers on the Production LIne”, in Popular Mechanics, volume 113, number 5, page 99
  6. The act or process of using a wrecking ball.
    • To do this, a temporary variance was obtained in the city's building codes, which forbid demolishing of buildings by balling .1964, Construction Craftsman - Volumes 3-4, page 14
    • Workers should not be allowed in any building area which can be adversely affected by these operations, nor should they be permitted in the barricaded area when balling is in progress.1966, Bulletin - Issue 277, page 48
  7. (poultry) The accumulation of soil on the feet of a bird, a process that eventually leads to infection.
    • the amount of milk sugar in the diet will be sufficiently high to produce flushing or at least a "balling" of the droppings on the feet of the birds.1954, Poultry Disease Short Course for Veterinarians, June 28-30, 1954, page 24
    • I was once told by a well-known naturalist that the balling of partridges was a wise provision of nature for the dissemination of seeds , and by its aid plants are introduced to fresh ground ; but this is poor comfort to the man who sees his coveys gradually becoming fewer .1904, F. W. Millard, “The Balling of Partridges”, in The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, volume 19, page 31
  8. The accumulation of material such as snow or mud under the feet of a horse.
    • The most potent cause of thrush is exposure of the frogs to filth and damp. Neglect to remove the "balling" of horse dung or soiled bedding, tan, or sawdust from the shod foot is a fruitful source.1907 October 8, S.S. Cameron, “Diseases of Farm Animals”, in The Journal of Agriculture, volume 5, page 636
    • This is owing to the fact that the chilling of the horses' feet and shoes is severe and facilitates the balling of the snow.1911, “Snow-Shoes for Horses”, in Cavalry Journal, volume 6, page 122
  9. The act of forcing a bolus of medicine down the throat of an animal.
    • The periodical bleeding and balling of horses should be likewise condemned .1869, M.R. James, “Care of Chicks in Brooder”, in American Agricultural Annual, page 94
    • We should always have a pail of water at hand to offer the horse after balling.1890, United States. Bureau of Animal Industry, Special Report on Diseases of the Horse, page 10
  10. An incident when worker bees surround a queen bee, usually leading to her death by suffocation or starvation.
    • Balling of queens seems to be relatively common in some strains of bee.1986, Beowulf A. Cooper, Philip Denwood, The Honeybees of the British Isles, page 145
    • The balling behaviour of workers has been explained by a "stress pheromone" hyphothesis: a disturbed queen produces a "stress pheromone" that stimulates an attack on her (balling) and her own death.2013, Yaacov Lensky, Pierre Cassier, “Alarm Pheromones of the Queen and Worker Honey Bees”, in Avshalom Mizrahi, Yaacov Lensky, editor, Bee Products: Properties, Applications, and Apitherapy, page 152
  11. The process of firing ball-like projectiles.
    • Dr. Putnam received the discipline of snow balling as he passed the street.1890, William Pynchon, Fitch Edward Oliver, The Diary of William Pynchon of Salem, page 25
    • In order to emphasize the martial music, Director Gilmore had a balling of cannon that were fired electrically by pressing a set of white push-buttons on his desk .1901, Philharmonic: A Magazine Devoted to Music Art Drama, page 23
  12. The act of scouring out a pipe or drain by forcing rocks or similar items through it with high-pressure water.
    • For this test series balling was initiated by trying a variety of rocks and by running at different levels of hydraulic horsepower per square inch of bottom hole area ( HSI ) .1989, Proceedings [of The] Drilling Conference, page 128
    • Usually a balling operation will function very well with 2.0 feet of head in the upstream manhole to create a scouring velocity around the ball.2003, Operation and Maintenance of Wastewater Collection Systems
  13. The measurement on a hydrometer of the amount of sugar in a liquid.
    • In the next place, the defendant contrasts the dilution of Hayduck, which has a balling of about 1°, with the concentration of the dilute portion of the peptone wort of mash 1901, which had a balling of .8 °.1930, The Federal Reporter, page 341
    • Fruit and syrup of 20°, 30° balling was found to be insipid and sour. The product was excellent syrup and in its own juice with equal in 40 and 45 degree ballings.1956, West Punjab Fruit Journal - Volumes 20-22, page 17
  14. (slang, African-American Vernacular) Synonym of sexual intercourse.
    • A very wise girl named Amaryllis once said to me "I like cuffing, but I don't want a boy who will swerk me just for the glory of it." Balling is something people do together too.2011, Eric Berne, Sex in Human Loving, page v
    • Sometimes balling just seems to be something that you just want to get over with, so you can start talking, but the man always leaves.2020, Jack Olsen, The Girls on the Campus, page 179

Meaning of ball

Verb

ball (third-person singular simple present balls, present participle balling, simple past and past participle balled)

  1. (transitive) To form or wind into a ball.
    • to ball cotton
    Synonyms:
    roll up, wad
  2. To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
  3. (US, intransitive, transitive, vulgar) To have sexual intercourse (with).
    • Max says it works both ways. “I mean if she comes in and tells me she wants to ball Don, maybe, I say ‘O.K., baby, it's your trip.’”1968, Joan Didion, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem”, in Slouching Towards Bethlehem
    Synonyms:
    Formal terms, bed, coit, coitize, dight, enjoy, feague, go in unto, go to bed with, have
  4. (ambitransitive) To gather balls which cling to the feet or skis, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls.
    • the horse balls
  5. (participle, present, regional, slang) To be hip or cool.
  6. (university slang) To reject from a fraternity or sorority. (Ellipsis of blackball).
    • This highlights the issue of toxic masculinity in fraternities: a pledge only becomes a man, or a brother, by enduring as much abuse as he can and by proving his competence with girls. If he cannot, he is not only "balled" but seen as a "faggot" (this is a term directly from the work).2018 July 12, “'I Thought Frats Were Like Their Movies, and They Totally Are': A Review of 'Alpha Class'”, in College Media Network

See all 45 meanings of ball

Meaning of ballin'

Adjective

ballin' (not comparable)

  1. (Multicultural-London-English, slang, African-American Vernacular) Having an ostentatiously wealthy lifestyle.
    • Now this niggah home and gettin' it, rockin the new tinted-out Q45, new kicks and throwbacks every day, draped in jewels. The niggah was ballin'.2007, Edd McNair, Turning Point

Adjective

balling (not comparable)

  1. Involving casual sexual intercourse.
    • Ideal for a balling hot time .1980, Patricia J. Bush, Drugs, Alcohol, & Sex
    • And as Doran said later, all bullshit aside, what balling broad could resist going to bed with a handsome dwarf ?2012, Mario Puzo, Fools Die, page 227

Proper noun capitalized: Balling

Balling (plural Ballings)

  1. A surname.

Synonyms of balling

Forms of balling

Noun
pluralballings
Proper noun
pluralBallings

Origin of balling

By surface analysis, ball + -ing.

Words formed from balling

Phrases with balling

Questions about balling

What does balling mean?
Balling means aggregation into clumps or balls;.
What is balling the present participle and gerund of?
Balling is the present participle and gerund of ball.
What part of speech is balling?
Balling can be a noun, an adjective or a proper noun.
What is the plural of balling?
The plural of balling is ballings.

Words near balling in the dictionary

  1. Ballinasloe
  2. Ballincollig
  3. Ballindine
  4. Ballindrait
  5. Ballineen
  6. balling
  7. balling down
  8. balling gun
  9. balling guns
  10. balling it off
  11. balling off

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: balling (page history and authors); Balling (page history and authors); ball (page history and authors); ballin' (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: “balling.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/balling. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.