ball up meaning: definition, quotations

ball up

verbalso spelled ball-up

12 senses

1To crush or form into a ball shape.
2To form melted metals into balls or lumps to roll them…
3To coil up into a ball.
4To become ball-shaped.
5To hunch over and pull in one's arms and legs.
6To ruin or botch.
7To smoke marijuana.
8To play basketball, especially playing well.
9To switch to using a stronger bowling ball.
10To become covered in damp snow.
11To produce a lip of debris around the drill hole.
12To become confused or discombobulated; to confuse (someone).

To crush or form into a ball shape.

She balled up her paper in frustration.

To form melted metals into balls or lumps to roll them out of a furnace for further use.

Ambitransitive To coil up into a ball.

He balled up his fists, ready to fight.

To become ball-shaped.

Be careful, or the metal will ball up.

To hunch over and pull in one's arms and legs.

Her son balls up in fear whenever there is a storm.

Slang To ruin or botch.

The best man balled up his speech, stammering and tripping over his words.
"They got it all balled up the night I seen it," says Bishop. "The actors forgot their lines and a man couldn't make heads or tails of it."1916, Ring W. Lardner, “Three Kings and a Pair”, in The Saturday Evening Post:

1 more example

It's the fuel pumps. Some character has balled up the lot.1967 September 9, Kit Pedlar and Gerry Davis, The Tomb of the Cybermen episode 2, spoken by Captain Hopper:

Slang To smoke marijuana.

Nah bro, I ain't tryna ball up tonight. I gotta focus on my studies.
someone give those mans snapping themselves balling up on their sc story a hug bro they're just lonely2018 December 11, @artemnooo, Twitter, archived from the original on 09 Oct 2023:

4 more examples

God I fucking hate weed. I wish I didn't start smoking!!! Shit is an addiction🤢 I'm on my 3rd day sober and I have a loss in appetite, n lower than usual temper. Ion wanna die young lol, and to all my friends don't link me to ball up. Y'all should quit too!but I'll drink tho 😭2020 November 1, @_eLEEvated, Twitter, archived from the original on 09 Oct 2023:
In Toronto, we literally have balling up rules.2022 May 15, theofficialplushh, TikTok, archived from the original on 19 May 2023:
Why would u want to ball up in the restaurant? Smoking and eating dont mix and its better to smoke before anyway.2022 December 23, u/StickyIgloo, “RESTAURANTS TO BALL UP IN?”, in Reddit, r/Torontology, archived from the original on 09 Oct 2023:
stop trying to make him quit let him ball up one day hes gonna get so high hes gonna be scared to ball up2023 September 30, u/Eletric_Degle, “I just caught my 14 year old lil bro balling up”, in Reddit, r/Torontology, archived from the original on 09 Oct 2023:

Ball games, Basketball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To play basketball, especially playing well.

Bowling, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Slang To switch to using a stronger bowling ball.

Hobbies, Lifestyle, Skiing, Sports Of skis To become covered in damp snow.

Of a drill To produce a lip of debris around the drill hole.

US, Dated, Slang To become confused or discombobulated; to confuse (someone).

ball-up

noun

The method by which the field umpire restarts play at a neutral contest after a stoppage within the field of play, involving the throwing or bouncing of the ball up between two players, known as rucks, who then attempt to win possession for their teams.

Australian rules football