eight-ball

eight-ball — noun

1. the black ball numbered 8 that is used in the game of pool; players must sink al

1.名詞
釋義

the black ball numbered 8 that is used in the game of pool; players must sink all of their own group of balls before aiming at the eight-ball, and pocketing it too early makes you lose the game.

例句

Tomás carefully aimed his cue at the eight-ball, hoping to sink it in the corner pocket.

collocation: sink the eight-ball

The eight-ball is the last ball players must pocket in a standard game of pool.

pocket the eight-ball as final object

同義詞
  • black ball

    informal reference; pool players usually say 'eight-ball'

文法句型

the eight-ball

an eight-ball

常見錯誤

❌I hit the black ball into the pocket.
✅I sank the eight-ball into the corner pocket.
💡in pool, the eight-ball is specifically the black ball with the number 8, and players say 'sink' or 'pocket' rather than 'hit' for successfully getting it in.

2. a person who does not fit in socially with others around them — for example, som

2.名詞及物 / 不及物
釋義

a person who does not fit in socially with others around them — for example, someone who is always left out by coworkers or classmates.

例句

In high school, Diego felt like an eight-ball who never quite fit in with any group.

pattern: feel like an eight-ball

The film tells the story of a lonely eight-ball who finally finds friends at a community art centre.

同義詞
  • misfit

    more common and neutral; eight-ball is more informal and specifically American

  • outcast

    stronger negative connotation of being actively rejected by others

  • odd one out

    describes a situation rather than a fixed personal trait

反義詞
  • insider

    someone who is accepted and included in a group

文法句型

an eight-ball

feel like an eight-ball

用法筆記

Describes a person who does not fit into a social group. Can be neutral or mildly sympathetic, but is rarely used as a direct insult — more often used in self-description or third-person narration.

常見錯誤

❌She is an eight-ball person.
✅She is an eight-ball.
💡eight-ball is a noun, not an adjective; use it as a direct description.

3. an eighth of an ounce (about 3.5 grams) of an illegal powdered drug, most common

3.名詞
釋義

an eighth of an ounce (about 3.5 grams) of an illegal powdered drug, most commonly cocaine; used in street-level drug dealing.

例句

The police found an eight-ball of cocaine hidden inside a hollowed-out book on the shelf.

pattern: an eight-ball of [drug]

Undercover officers arrested the dealer after he sold an eight-ball to an informant in the parking lot.

同義詞
  • eighth

    shorter slang form; same meaning

文法句型

an eight-ball of [drug]

用法筆記

Street slang, primarily American. Not appropriate in formal, academic, or professional writing. The term refers specifically to powdered drugs — not pills, plant matter, or liquid substances.

常見錯誤

❌He bought an eight-ball of marijuana.
✅He bought an eight-ball of cocaine.
💡eight-ball refers to an eighth of an ounce and is almost exclusively used for powdered drugs like cocaine, not for plant-based drugs.