ball-and-socket joint
nounDefinition of ball-and-socket joint
1
: a joint in which a ball moves within a socket so as to allow rotary motion in every direction within certain limits
2
: an articulation (such as the hip joint) in which the rounded head of one bone fits into a cuplike cavity of the other and admits movement in any direction
Illustration of ball-and-socket joint
ball-and-socket joint 1
Examples of ball-and-socket joint in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The latching system is based on a ball-and-socket joint. — Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "In the future, Amsterdam’s canals might have robot boats," 6 June 2019 Unlike a hinge joint that moves only (for the most part) forward and backward, like the knee, the shape of the ball-and-socket joint in the hip allows for flexion, extension, internal and external rotation, abduction, and adduction. — SELF, "5 Lunges Everyone With Tight Hips Should Do," 22 Feb. 2019 And your shoulders specifically may benefit immensely from rotator cuff exercises, which strengthen and stabilize the small muscles that help keep the ball-and-socket joint in place. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "12 Stretches to Relieve Tight Shoulders," 2 Nov. 2018 The ball of this ball-and-socket joint had been flattened by wear and tear, and its no-longer-smooth surface was now in direct contact with the bony cup of the socket. — Lisa Sanders, New York Times, "The Patient Had Pain When He Walked, but There Was a More Telling Change," 27 June 2018 And this finger is articulated by sitting on a ball-and-socket joint, allowing it to move and swivel a full 360 degrees. — Ralph Steadman, Discover Magazine, "Where the Wild Things Aren't," 1 Mar. 2018 For example, a hinge has one degree of freedom while a ball-and-socket joint has three. — James Gorman, New York Times, "How It Works: The Large Mouth of the Largemouth Bass," 26 Dec. 2017 The hip is a ball-and-socket joint that allows controlled movement of the leg. — Elizabeth Millard, SELF, "This Athlete Was Born Without Hip Sockets—and Now She's Running Her First Marathon," 3 Nov. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ball-and-socket joint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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