mothball

1 of 2

noun

moth·​ball ˈmȯth-ˌbȯl 

1

: a ball made formerly of camphor but now often of naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene and used to keep moths from clothing

2

mothballs plural : a condition of protective storage

put the ships in mothballs after the war

also : a state of having been rejected for further use or dismissed from further consideration

mothball

2 of 2

verb

mothballed; mothballing; mothballs

transitive verb

1

: to deactivate (something, such as a ship) and prevent deterioration chiefly by dehumidification

2

: to withdraw from use or service and keep in reserve : put aside

Examples of mothball in a Sentence

Verb

Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There was this great waft of camphor, the mothball smell and these strange furs, fox furs and things like this, and peculiar Austrian artifacts, and collars from my grandfather with Germanic names on it. —Marc Malkin, Variety, 15 June 2024

He’s also brought his split finger out of mothballs. —Dan Arritt, Orange County Register, 8 June 2024

Verb

And there are thousands of yellows that have been mothballed since the onset of COVID. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 May 2024

That being said, the way in which it had been used for many, many years was two times a year, and pretty much mothballed in between. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

mothball

1 of 2 noun

moth·​ball ˈmȯth-ˌbȯl 

1

: a ball (as of naphthalene) used to keep moths out of clothing

2

plural : protective storage

a fleet put in mothballs after the war

mothball

2 of 2 verb

1

: to remove a ship from use and protect from deterioration

2

: to withdraw from use or service and keep in reserve : put aside