ball-and-socket

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those fingers come with a long, skeletal middle digit equipped with a ball-and-socket joint for horrifying dexterity, like the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come beckoning Ebenezer Scrooge to gaze upon his own sordid death.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

The ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder is secured by the four muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff, which can become irritated, torn or overstretched.

From New York Times • Dec. 29, 2022

Any sort of twist or imbalance can put stress on ball-and-socket joints.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2021

The ball of this ball-and-socket joint had been flattened by wear and tear, and its no-longer-smooth surface was now in direct contact with the bony cup of the socket.

From New York Times • Jun. 27, 2018

The coupling-rods were made with cylindrical brasses, thus forming ball-and-socket joints, to enable them to accommodate themselves to the lateral movements of the wheels.

From Illustrated Catalogue of Locomotives Baldwin Locomotive Works by Baird, Matthew