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 away 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

a … script he should have kept in mothballs.

—Rolling Stone

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

mothballed the plans for the project

Examples of mothball in a Sentence

Verb

Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In Game 2, Johnson kept his other backup centers (Mason Plumlee, Bismack Biyombo and Kelly Olynyk) in mothballs, choosing to fill the non-Kornet minutes with Carter Bryant as a small-ball center — even against 7-foot-2 Blazers big man Donovan Clingan. —Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Apr. 2026

Individuals found using mothballs to deter wild animals outdoors may receive citations and be fined up to $10,000 per violation. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026

Verb

Nikita Tolopilo Of all the missteps this season, the club’s decision to mothball Tolopilo down the stretch of this season was probably the single most indefensible. —Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026

Miller had taken to toying with the addition in spring training in recent years, only to essentially mothball the pitch. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mothball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

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