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Showing results for ball and chain. Search instead for ball-and-chain/2.
Definitions

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

“I didn’t want to get a bad mortgage and be in a ball and chain situation where all I would be able to do is pay the mortgage,” Ms. Harper said.

From New York Times • May 9, 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

New monuments have gone up elsewhere, including Brown University’s Slavery Memorial sculpture - a partially buried ball and chain - and the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers under construction at the University of Virginia.

From Washington Times • Dec. 14, 2019

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