Standard Lemma guide

mothball

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɒθbɔːl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈmɔθˌbɔl/
  • General-American, cot-caught-merger: /ˈmɑθˌbɑl/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AO1 TH B AO2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small ball of chemical pesticide (originally camphor and now typically naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene) and deodorant placed in or around clothing and other articles to deter moth larvae which may damage them.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To store (clothing, etc.) with mothballs (noun sense 1).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

Qualifier: chiefly passive voice

Examples

  • They mothballed the old version after the new one came out.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: demothball, unmothball

4

verb

Meaning 4

To stop work on (a plan, project, etc.) for the time being; to postpone, to shelve.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

Qualifier: chiefly passive voice

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: defer, set aside

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a small sphere of camphor or naphthalene used to keep moths away from stored clothing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: camphor ball

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ball, globe, orb

6

verb

Meaning 6

put into long-term storage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: store

History

Etymology

The noun is derived from moth + ball. The verb is derived from the noun.

Across languages

Translations

62 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: топче нафталин (topče naftalin) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Cebuano: naptalina — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Chinese Cantonese: 衛生球 /卫生球 (wai6 sang1 kau4) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Chinese Cantonese: 樟腦丸 /樟脑丸 — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Chinese: 臭丸 (zh-min-nan) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Chinese: 樟腦丸 /樟脑丸 (chiun-ló-oân) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Chinese Mandarin: 臭球 (chòuqiú) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Chinese Mandarin: 臭球兒 /臭球儿 (chòuqiúr) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Chinese Mandarin: 衛生丸子 /卫生丸子 (uei4 sen1 yenn2 zr) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Chinese Mandarin: 衛生球 /卫生球 (wèishēngqiú) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Chinese Mandarin: 樟腦丸 /樟脑丸 (zhāngnǎowán) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Czech: naftalín — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Danish: mølkugle — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Dutch: mottenbal — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Erzya: киньгуловтома (kińgulovtoma) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Faroese: mølkúla — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Finnish: koinmyrkky — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Finnish: koipallo — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • French: boule de naphtaline — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • German: Mottenkugel — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Greek: ναφθαλίνη (nafthalíni) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Hungarian: molyirtó — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Icelandic: mölkúla — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Italian: naftalina — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Italian: pallina tarmicida — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Korean: 좀약 (jomyak) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Luxembourgish: Mattekugel — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Norwegian Bokmål: møllkule — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Portuguese: naftalina — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Romanian: naftalină — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Russian: нафтали́новый ша́рик (naftalínovyj šárik) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Slovak: naftalín — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Spanish: bola de alcanfor — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Spanish: bola de naftalina — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Swedish: malkula — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Tamil: அந்துருண்டை (anturuṇṭai) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Thai: ลูกเหม็น (lûuk-měn) — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Turkish: güve ilacı — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Turkish: naftalin — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Vietnamese: băng phiến — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Vietnamese: long não — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Welsh: pêl gamffor — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Zazaki: korkı — small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
  • Finnish: suojata koipalloilla — to store (clothing, etc.) with mothballs
  • German: einmotten — to store (clothing, etc.) with mothballs
  • Bulgarian: консервирам (konserviram) — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Bulgarian: прибирам (pribiram) — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Dutch: in de mottenballen leggen — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Finnish: hyllyttää — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • German: einmotten — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Hungarian: elhalaszt — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Hungarian: elnapol — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Hungarian: félretesz — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Hungarian: tartalékba tesz — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Japanese: 〜を使わずにとっておく — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Norwegian Bokmål: legge på is — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Portuguese: engavetar — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Russian: законсервировать (zakonservirovatʹ) — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Swedish: förpuppa — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Swedish: lägga i malpåse — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Swedish: lägga på hyllan — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future
  • Swedish: lägga på is — to stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future