1 C1 informal
To roll or squeeze a material into a compact ball shape.
"He balled down the piece of tin foil and tossed it into the bin."
separable
ball down
C1 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To roll or press something into a ball shape; or to curl the body tightly into a ball position.
In plain English
To scrunch something into a round ball shape, or to curl your body up tightly.
What does "ball down" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 informal
To curl the body into a tight, rounded position.
"She balled down into a defensive position and pulled the blanket over herself."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To form something downward into a ball — fairly transparent.
Actually means
To scrunch something into a round ball shape, or to curl your body up tightly.
Usage tip
Relatively rare and informal. More commonly heard in British English. May describe physical materials being scrunched or a person adopting a foetal position.
Words that pair with "ball down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
paper clay dough body fist material
How to conjugate "ball down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
ball down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
balls down
he/she/it
Past simple
balled down
yesterday
Past participle
balled down
have + pp
-ing form
balling down
continuous
Hear "ball down" in the wild
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Other ways to say "ball down"
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