ball and chain
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.
High prices have hobbled Americans with a ball and chain.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 15, 2025
Alito offered no comment on this one, not even giving reporters a perfunctory point of the finger toward the ol’ ball and chain.
From Slate • May 25, 2024
As time went on, Veasley said her pain became like a ball and chain that got heavier and heavier.
From Salon • Oct. 9, 2023
Each custom bottle label sported a picture of a cabbage chained to a foot, like a ball and chain, and the words “Brine & Punishment,” a reference to Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment.”
From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2022
Thoroughly disgruntled, the sparrow hopped along like a feathered convict with a ball and chain, forced to follow the young mouse wherever he chose to wander.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
