Meaning & use
a cue ball
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
The white ball in pool or billiards that a player hits with a cue stick to strike other balls.
Grammar: Countable: 'a cue ball', 'the cue ball', 'cue balls'.
Patterns
- hit the cue ball
- strike the cue ball
- the cue ball hits something
He hit the cue ball too hard and it jumped off the table.
The cue ball must hit a colored ball first, or it's a foul.
She placed the cue ball carefully on the table before taking her shot.
Word forms
| plural | cue balls |
|---|
Common combinations
- hit the cue ball
- You need to hit the cue ball softly to make that shot.
- the cue ball stops
- The cue ball stopped right behind the eight ball.
- place the cue ball
- After a foul, the other player can place the cue ball anywhere.
Synonyms and how they differ
- white ball
- Informal and general; 'cue ball' is the precise term in the game.
Word family
- cue noun
- The long stick used to hit the cue ball.
- billiards noun
- A game played on a table with balls and cues.
Commonly confused: a cue ball or ball?
a cue ball vs ball
Any round object used in games; 'cue ball' is the specific white ball you strike with the cue.
Practice
In a game of pool, what is the cue ball?
Choose one answer.
The cue ball is the white ball you hit with the cue. The black ball is the 'eight ball'; the stick is the 'cue'; the table is just the table.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a cue ball”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.