mothball
moth·ball/ˈmɔθˌbɔl/noun, verb
mothball is a noun meaning “A small ball of chemical pesticide (originally camphor and now typically naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene) and deodorant placed in or around…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled M-O-T-H-B-A-L-L and has 2 syllables (moth·ball), and it appears about once in every 14 million words in written English (wordfreq, 2021 data). The plural of mothball is mothballs.
What does mothball mean?
noun
- 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.
verb
- 1
To store (clothing, etc.) with mothballs (noun sense 1).
- 2
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.
They mothballed the old version after the new one came out.
- 3
To stop work on (a plan, project, etc.) for the time being; to postpone, to shelve.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you pronounce mothball?
- UK /ˈmɒθbɔːl/
- US /ˈmɔθˌbɔl/
- US /ˈmɑθˌbɑl/
Mothball has 2 syllables, split moth·ball in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mothball.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-mothball.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mothball
- mothballs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- moth-ball
- moth ball
- mothballing participle, present
- mothballed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How common is mothball?
Mothball appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 114,361st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Mothball in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | boule de naphtaline |
| German | Mottenkugel , einmotten |
| Portuguese | naftalina , engavetar |
| Spanish | bola de alcanfor, bola de naftalina |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does mothball come from?
The noun is derived from moth + ball. The verb is derived from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).