balls

The word “balls” means courage and boldness; nerve. In plain terms, informally, either raw courage/nerve, or a dismissive way of calling something nonsense.

“Balls” is pronounced bawlz (/bɔːlz/ in IPA).

Here is “balls” used in a sentence: “It takes balls to quit a stable job and start a business.”

“Balls” is a noun.

“Balls” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Balls” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: courage and boldness; nerve.

To have balls is an informal, slang way of saying someone has courage, boldness, or nerve. Saying 'it took balls to speak up' praises their bravery in a difficult situation. The phrase is casual and can sound crude in formal settings, so it suits friendly or emphatic speech rather than professional writing.

In this sense, balls is decidedly informal slang. It carries energy and emphasis but can sound coarse, so it is best kept to casual conversation among friends. In formal or professional contexts, words like courage, nerve, or boldness convey the same idea without the crude edge.

If you want the same meaning without the slang, you can say courage, nerve, boldness, guts, backbone, or daring. 'It took guts to do that' or 'she showed real nerve' keep the admiring tone while sounding more acceptable in formal settings or professional conversation.