Definitions for mothballs

• Definition
• Anagrams (436)

mothballs moth·ball

Spelling: [mawth-bawl, moth-]

IPA: /ˈmɔθˌbɔl, ˈmɒθ-/

Mothballs is a 9 letter English word. It's valid Scrabble word worth 16 points. It's valid Words with friends word worth 19 points.

You can make 436 anagrams from letters in mothballs (abhllmost).

Definitions for mothballs

noun

1. a small ball of naphthalene or sometimes of camphor for placing in closets or other storage areas to repel moths from clothing, blankets, etc.

Idioms

1. in mothballs, in disuse or in storage, especially with reference to standby equipment. (of ideas) dismissed as unworthy of further deliberation.

adjective

1. inactive; unused; stored away:

verb (used with object)

1. to put into storage or reserve; inactivate.

Origin of mothballs

First recorded in 1905-10; moth + ball¹

Examples for mothballs

We rented the house, put our belongings in mothballs, and left on February 20.

No more, no more will robins nest within their lilac shade, for they are folded now and pressed, and with the mothballs laid.

He smelled faintly of mothballs and looked very respectable.

The house was over-warm, and there was a musty smell of over-aged furniture, old leather, and the pungence of mothballs.