ball out

English

Etymology 1

Derived from ball (“to play basketball”) + out.

Verb

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

1. (sports, slang) To play or perform extremely well.

   The Lakers were behind the whole game until they started balling out in the last quarter.

   • 2019 September 3, Jeff Fedotin, “How Oddsmakers See The Kansas City Chiefs: The Story Of The Season In 3 Bets”, in Forbes‎^[1], archived from the original on 2020-02-25:

     The defensive tackle is an intriguing pick because you know he will ball out this season.

   • 2021 August 11, “Isaiah Thomas Breaks Down After Dropping 81 In Pro-Am Game, 'World Gave Up On Me'”, in TMZ‎^[2], archived from the original on 2022-12-04:

     The crowd gave Thomas a standing ovation after balling out... and that's when IT started to tear up and get in his feels.

   • 2023 January 1, Paul Gutierrez, “'You couldn't tell he was a backup': Jarrett Stidham earns Raiders' respect in first start”, in ESPN‎^[3], archived from the original on 2023-01-02:

     "I think every single person on the team said, 'Man, get out of here with that. You balled out and you did your thing,'" said Raiders receiver Davante Adams, who was on the receiving end of seven Stidham passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

   • 2023 January 12, Isabel Baldwin, “Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell shares heartwarming reunion with young, longtime Jazz fan, who waited for him outside the arena at every game during his five years in Utah”, in The Daily Mail‎^[4], archived from the original on 2023-01-15:

     Mitchell unsurprisingly balled out in his return, dropping 46 points, grabbing six rebounds and adding five assists.

   • 2023 January 14, Robert Zeglinski, “49ers' Brock Purdy had priceless reaction to learning LeBron James loved his playoff debut”, in USA Today‎^[5], archived from the original on 2022-02-17:

     One particularly notable person, NBA star LeBron James, took note of Purdy balling out as the 49ers advanced to the Divisional Round: […]

Etymology 2

Derived from balls-out (“with great abandon; at the fastest possible speed”).

Verb

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

1. (slang) To spend extravagant amounts of money (especially at a casino or nightclub); to act as a baller.

   I'm not going to tell you how much I lost last night—let's just say I balled out.

   • 2017 December 9, Eli Vazquez, Selorm Kploanyi, Alicia Barron, “We Went To Vegas With $50 And Had To Make It Last An Entire Day”, in BuzzFeed‎^[6], archived from the original on 2022-12-25:

     If you've ever been to Las Vegas, you know it's damn near impossible to ball out on a budget.

   • 2019 October 2, Michael Saponara, “Mustard & Roddy Ricch Inspire Kids to Chase Their Dreams in Luxe ‘Ballin’ Video”, in Billboard‎^[7], archived from the original on 2023-01-15:

     Whether that’s going from playing with Monopoly money to balling out at the high-roller casino tables, or playing with toy cars to actually getting behind the wheel of exotic Lambo convertibles, the duo has a blast in the process of speaking the life of luxury into existence.

   • 2022 October 3, Amarie Gipson, Shelby Stewart, Daniel Renfrow, “Clutch City Clubs: 11 of Houston's Greatest Nightclubs”, in Houstonia‎^[8], archived from the original on 2023-01-15:

     Whether you're celebrating a birthday or just want to ball out, Sekai Night and Day is a go-to for a luxury, VIP experience.

Etymology 3

Verb

ball out

1. Misspelling of bawl out.
   • 2020 December 16, David Dayen, quotee, “AOC on Ending the Pelosi Era, Biden's Corporate Cabinet, and the Battle for Medicare for All.”, in The Intercept‎^[9], archived from the original on 2022-12-08:

     There's I guess, a pretty notable hearing that Austin had back when John McCain was alive, where he shied away from talking about regime change in Syria, and McCain just sort of balled him out and said that this is outrageous that you wouldn't be on my side on this.

2. Misspelling of bail out.

Etymology 4

From rootball.

Verb

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

1. (transitive, horticulture) To move a plant with its rootball attached.

Etymology 5

From ball sealer.

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To plug a hole using a ball sealer.

Anagrams

• out ball