ball lightning
noun
a rare form of lightning, consisting of a bright, luminous ball that moves rapidly along objects or floats in the air.
Also called
globe lightning.
Origin of ball lightning
First recorded in 1855–60
Words nearby ball lightning
ball handling,
ball hawk,
ball hockey,
ball ice,
ball joint,
ball lightning,
ball mill,
ball of fire,
ball of foot,
ball of wax,
ball race
Example sentences from the Web for ball lightning
The mergers of ball-lightning and meteorites are not resistances to us: our data are of enormous bodies.
The Book of the Damned |Charles Fort
British Dictionary definitions for ball lightning
ball lightning
noun
meteorol
a luminous electrically charged ball occasionally seen during electrical storms
Scientific definitions for ball lightning
ball lightning
A rare form of lightning in the shape of a glowing red ball, associated with thunderstorms and sometimes accompanied by a loud noise. Ball lightning is thought to consist of ionized gas.