Meaning & use
fuzzballs
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“fuzzballs” is a form of “fuzzball”.
Meanings
nounusually pluralinformalhumorous
Small, soft, fluffy animals or things covered in fuzz, often called this fondly.
Grammar: Countable: one fuzzball, two fuzzballs.
Patterns
- a pair of fuzzballs
The two kittens were adorable little fuzzballs.
My dog is a big fuzzball who loves to play in the snow.
The baby ducks were yellow fuzzballs following their mother.
nouncountableinformal
Small tangled balls of lint, hair or fluff found on clothes, blankets or floors.
Grammar: Often used for fluff on fabric: picked fuzzballs off the sweater.
Patterns
- fuzzballs on something
I picked the fuzzballs off my sweater before the interview.
The vacuum could not remove the fuzzballs under the sofa.
Wool socks sometimes form fuzzballs after many washes.
Word forms
| singular | fuzzball |
|---|
Common combinations
- little fuzzballs
- The puppies were little fuzzballs asleep in a basket.
- pick off fuzzballs
- She picked fuzzballs off her scarf.
- fluffy fuzzballs
- The chicks were fluffy fuzzballs.
- remove fuzzballs
- This tool will remove fuzzballs from clothes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fluffball
- Fluffball is almost identical but sounds a little softer and is used mostly for pets.
- furball
- Furball often means a ball of hair coughed up by a cat, which fuzzball does not.
- pills
- Pills is the textile term for the little balls on fabric and is more technical than fuzzballs.
Word family
Commonly confused: fuzzballs or fuzz?
fuzzballs vs fuzz
Fuzz alone is the soft material, while fuzzballs are the round clumps of it.
Practice
The kittens, soft and round, looked like little ____.
Choose one answer.
Fuzzballs is the affectionate informal word for small fluffy things. The other options do not describe soft, round animals.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fuzzballs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.