Definition of "ball-bearing" [ball-bearing]

• In mech., a method of lessening friction by causing a shaft to rest upon or to be surrounded by balls partly contained in sockets, each ball being loose, and turning with the shaft. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "Cabinet drawers with slides that have cheap nylon wheels, as opposed to ball-bearing assemblies, are also likely to open suddenly."
• "Last week, Carlyle Group announced that it would buy Japanese ball-bearing maker Tsubaki Nakashima Co. from Nomura for 66 billion yen, including debt."
• "A far cry from those flimsy, grill-free clip-on fans you often see, the Propello creates some serious wind with an ultra-quiet ball-bearing motor."