any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow.-a spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc.-a general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. see baseball, and football.-any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a rifle ball; -- often used collectively; as, powder and ball. spherical balls for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets.-a flaming, roundish body shot into the air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball; a stink ball.-a leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; -- formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller.-a roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot.-a large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given to horses; a bolus.-the globe or earth.-to gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls; as, the horse balls; the snow balls.-to heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.-to form or wind into a ball; as, to ball cotton.-a social assembly for the purpose of dancing.