golf ball: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Neutral to informal
Quick answer
What does “golf ball” mean?
A small, hard ball with a dimpled surface, designed specifically for playing the sport of golf.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A small, hard ball with a dimpled surface, designed specifically for playing the sport of golf.
Can refer to the physical object used in golf, or metaphorically to describe something small, round, and white, or to denote the core component of the game. Historically, also the name of a type of spherical typewriter element.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. The game and its terminology are largely identical in both varieties.
Connotations
Strongly associated with leisure, business networking, and affluence in both cultures.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties due to the global nature of the sport.
Grammar
How to Use “golf ball” in a Sentence
Verb + golf ball (hit, drive, lose)Adjective + golf ball (new, white, lost)Preposition + golf ball (with a golf ball, like a golf ball)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “golf ball” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- He managed to golf ball his way through the windy course.
- (rare/innovative use)
American English
- He really golf-balled that drive over 300 yards.
- (rare/innovative use)
adverb
British English
- (No standard adverbial use)
American English
- (No standard adverbial use)
adjective
British English
- He bought a new golf-ball retriever for the pond.
- The golf-ball-sized hail damaged cars.
American English
- She has a golf-ball sized cyst, the doctor said.
- It was a golf-ball white colour.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in contexts of corporate hospitality or networking, e.g., 'We discussed the deal on the golf course, and he sliced his golf ball into the lake.'
Academic
Rare, except in physics or engineering studies of projectile motion or aerodynamics.
Everyday
Common when discussing the sport, hobbies, or finding lost items in gardens, e.g., 'A golf ball landed in our flowerbed.'
Technical
Used in sports science regarding construction, compression, and aerodynamics of the dimpled design.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “golf ball”
- Using plural 'golf balls' as an uncountable noun (e.g., 'I need some golf ball' is incorrect).
- Misspelling as 'golfball' (should be two words or hyphenated: golf-ball).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is most commonly written as two separate words ('golf ball'), though hyphenated ('golf-ball') is sometimes seen, especially when used as a modifier (e.g., golf-ball-sized).
Modern golf balls have a solid or liquid core, usually made of synthetic rubber, surrounded by one or more layers of plastic (like urethane or surlyn), and a dimpled outer cover.
White provides high visibility against green grass and brown earth, making them easier for players to find. Yellow and other colours are also now common for enhanced visibility.
Not in standard English. It is almost exclusively a noun. Innovative or humorous uses as a verb (e.g., 'to golf ball something') are non-standard and very rare.
A small, hard ball with a dimpled surface, designed specifically for playing the sport of golf.
Golf ball is usually neutral to informal in register.
Golf ball: in British English it is pronounced /ˈɡɒlf ˌbɔːl/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈɡɑːlf ˌbɔːl/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Like trying to find a golf ball in long grass (something very difficult to locate).”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
GOLF: Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden (a false but memorable acronym) + BALL. Imagine a ball you use for that exclusive game.
Conceptual Metaphor
A golf ball can metaphorically represent a small, hard-to-control projectile in life ('My career path has been bouncing around like a golf ball').
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary purpose of the dimples on a golf ball?