open the ball

verb

To begin operations; to set things in motion.

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Meanings

verbopen the ball (third-person singular simple present opens the ball, present participle opening the ball, simple past and past participle opened the ball)

present singular third person opens the ball · participle present opening the ball · participle past opened the ball · past opened the ball

  1. To begin operations; to set things in motion.

    This is "commencement week" in "over-the-counter insurance" circles, the Whitman, Mass., savings bank having opened the ball with four applications made for $300 each by three prominent business men […]

    1908, The Standard, volume 62, page 553

Origin

In reference to the start of dancing at a ball.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish pistää pyörät pyörimään, aloittaa
  • pistää pyörät pyörimäänbegin operations
  • aloittaabegin operations
French ouvrir le bal, ouvrir la danse
  • ouvrir le balbegin operations
  • ouvrir la dansebegin operations
Polish rozpoczynać, rozpocząć
  • rozpoczynaćbegin operations
  • rozpocząćbegin operations
Cite this entry
APA

open the ball. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20the%20ball

MLA

“open the ball.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20the%20ball. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “open the ball,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20the%20ball.

Source: open the ball on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.