What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Ball vs Figure - What's the difference?

ball | figure |

As a noun ball

is .

As an adjective figure is

figurative.

As a verb figure is

.

ball

English

(wikipedia ball)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A solid or hollow sphere, or part thereof.
  • # A quantity of string, thread, etc., wound into a spherical shape.
  • # (label) A solid, spherical nonexplosive missile for a cannon, etc.
  • ## A jacketed non-expanding bullet, typically of military origin.
  • # A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body.
  • # (label) The front of the bottom of the foot, just behind the toes.
  • # The globe; the earthly sphere.
  • #* (Joseph Addison) (1672-1719)
  • Move round the dark terrestrial ball .
  • #* 1717 , (Alexander Pope), ""
  • Thus, if eternal Justice rules the ball , / Thus shall your wives, and thus your children fall;
  • # (label) The set of points in a metric space lying within a given distance (the radius) of a given point; specifically, the homologue of the disk in a Euclidean space of any number of dimensions.
  • # The set of points in a topological space lying within some open set containing a given point; the analogue of the disk in a Euclidean space.
  • # An object, generally spherical, used for playing games.
  • #* {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Michael Arlen), title= “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days, chapter=3/19/2
  • , passage=Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house?; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something?; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.}}
  • #* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 2, author=Aled Williams, work=BBC Sport Wales
  • , title= Swansea 2-0 Stoke , passage=Graham secured victory with five minutes left, coolly lifting the ball over Asmir Begovic.}}
  • (label) The use of a round or ellipsoidal object.
  • # Any simple game involving a ball.
  • # (label) A pitch that falls outside of the strike zone.
  • # (label) An opportunity to launch the pinball into play.
  • # (label) A single delivery by the bowler, six of which make up an over.
  • # (label) A pass; a kick of the football towards a teammate.
  • #* {{quote-news, year=2010, date=December 29, author=Chris Whyatt, work=BBC
  • , title= Chelsea 1-0 Bolton , passage=After Essien's poor attempt flew into the stands, Rodrigo Moreno - Bolton's on-loan winger from Benfica who was making his full Premier League debut - nearly exposed the Blues with a lovely ball for Johan Elmander, but it just skipped away from his team-mate's toes. }}
  • A testicle.
  • # Nonsense.
  • — Synonyms — See
  • # Courage.
  • A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; formerly used by printers for inking the form, then superseded by the roller.
  • A large pill, a form in which medicine was given to horses; a bolus.
  • (White)
    Synonyms
    * sphere * globe * (testicle) See * (courage) chutzpah, guts, nerve
    Derived terms
    (solid or hollow sphere) {{der3, ball and chain , ball and socket , ball-barrow , ball bearing/ball-bearing , ball boy/ballboyball-boy , ball-cartridge , ballclay , ballcock , ball-flower , ball-game , ball-girl , ball lightning , ball machine , ball mill , ball of fire , ball of the foot , ball of the thumb , ballpark , ball-player , ballpoint , ball-proof , ball race , ball up , bandy-ball , baseball , basketball , beachball/beach ball , best-ball , billiard ball , blackball , blowball , blueball , brandy-ball , broomball , buckyball , butterball , button-ball , cannonball , coalball , cornball , cricket ball , croquet ball , crystal ball , cue ball , dust-ball , eight ball/eight-ball , eyeball , fastball , fire-ball , fishball , football , four ball , freeball , furball , fuzz-ball , game ball , get the ball rolling , goalball , golf ball , goofball , greaseball , hair-ball , half-ball , hand-ball , hardball , heel-ball , highball , holding the ball , jump ball , keep the ball rolling , kickball , korfball , matzo ball , meatball , medicine ball , , mothball , netball , no ball , object ball , oddball , on the ball , paintball , patball , pinball , ping-pong ball , pithball , play ball , puffball , punchball , push-ball , racquetball , rollerball , root-ball , rugby ball , scuzzball , silver ball , skittle-ball , sleazeball , slimeball , smoke-ball , snooker ball , snowball , soccer ball , softball , speedball , spot the ball , stink ball , stoolball , table-tennis ball , tea ball , tennis ball , tchoukball , the ball is in your court , through ball , time-ball , too many balls in the air , trackball, trackerball , trap-ball , volleyball , washball}} (testicle) {{der3, ball-breaker , ball-breaking , ball-buster , ball-busting , balls-aching , balls up (verb) , balls-up (noun) , ballsy , have someone by the balls , screwball}}

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (label) To form or wind into a ball.
  • to ball cotton
  • (label) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
  • To have sexual intercourse with.
  • (label) To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls.
  • The horse balls'''; the snow '''balls .
  • To be hip or cool.
  • Synonyms
    * (vulgar) bonk, fuck, lay, screw, shag (British)

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • (label) An appeal by the crowd for holding the ball against a tackled player. This is heard almost any time an opposition player is tackled, without regard to whether the rules about "prior opportunity" to dispose of the ball are fulfilled.
  • 2007: A good tackle (and some bad ones) will bring a cry of "Ball!" from the crowd – a plea for a holding the ball free kick. — AFL Sydney Swans Rules Zone [http://www.afl.com.au/FanZone/Rules/tabid/7892/Default.aspx]

    Etymology 2

    (m).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A formal dance.
  • (label) A very enjoyable time.
  • Synonyms
    * (very enjoyable time) blast, whale of a time
    Derived terms
    {{der3, ball-dress , ballgown , ballroom , have a ball , hunt ball , masked ball , open the ball}}

    figure

    English

    (wikipedia figure)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A drawing or diagram conveying information.
  • *
  • The representation of any form, as by drawing, painting, modelling, carving, embroidering, etc.; especially, a representation of the human body.
  • a figure''' in bronze; a '''figure cut in marble
  • * Shakespeare
  • a coin that bears the figure of an angel
  • A person or thing representing a certain consciousness.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
  • , volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Our banks are out of control , passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […].  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. When a series of bank failures made this impossible, there was widespread anger, leading to the public humiliation of symbolic figures .}}
  • The appearance or impression made by the conduct or career of a person.
  • He cut a sorry figure standing there in the rain.
  • * Dryden
  • I made some figure there.
  • * Blackstone
  • gentlemen of the best figure in the county
  • (obsolete) Distinguished appearance; magnificence; conspicuous representation; splendour; show.
  • * Law
  • that he may live in figure and indulgence
  • A human figure, which dress or corset must fit to; the shape of a human body.
  • *
  • A numeral.
  • A number.
  • *
  • A shape.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • Flowers have all exquisite figures .
  • *
  • A visible pattern as in wood or cloth.
  • The muslin was of a pretty figure .
  • A dance figure, a complex dance move(w).
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness,
  • A figure of speech.
  • * Macaulay
  • to represent the imagination under the figure of a wing
  • (logic) The form of a syllogism with respect to the relative position of the middle term.
  • (astrology) A horoscope; the diagram of the aspects of the astrological houses.
  • (Johnson)
  • (music) Any short succession of notes, either as melody or as a group of chords, which produce a single complete and distinct impression.
  • (Grove)
  • (music) A form of melody or accompaniment kept up through a strain or passage; a motif; a florid embellishment.
  • Derived terms

    (Terms derived from the noun) * academy figure * action figure * authority figure * big figure * dark figure * cut a figure * father figure * figure dash * figure eight * figurehead * figureless * figure loom * figure of eight * figure of merit * figure of speech * figure poem * figure skating * four-figure * hate figure * hourglass figure * lay figure * Lissajous figure * mother figure * musical figure * plane figure * public figure * significant figure * snow figure * stick figure * terminal figure * text figure * three-figure * two-figure

    Verb

    (mainly US)
  • To solve a mathematical problem.
  • To come to understand.
  • I can't figure if he's telling the truth or lying.
  • To be reasonable.
  • To enter, be a part of.
  • (obsolete) To represent by a figure, as to form or mould; to make an image of, either palpable or ideal; also, to fashion into a determinate form; to shape.
  • * Prior
  • If love, alas! be pain I bear, / No thought can figure , and no tongue declare.
  • To embellish with design; to adorn with figures.
  • * Shakespeare
  • The vaulty top of heaven / Figured quite o'er with burning meteors.
  • (obsolete) To indicate by numerals.
  • * Dryden
  • As through a crystal glass the figured hours are seen.
  • To represent by a metaphor; to signify or symbolize.
  • * Shakespeare
  • whose white vestments figure innocence
  • (obsolete) To prefigure; to foreshow.
  • * Shakespeare
  • In this the heaven figures some event.
  • (music) To write over or under the bass, as figures or other characters, in order to indicate the accompanying chords.
  • (music) To embellish.
  • Derived terms

    * go figure * prefigure * figure out (US)

    Statistics

    *