Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
ball cock

ball cock

1 7.0
A valve with a floating ball that controls the water level in a toilet tank
  • noun
  • /bɔl kɑk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : válvula de flotador
  • The plumber adjusted the ball cock to stop the overflow in the cistern.

Examples

  • Water in the toilet cistern is regulated by a ball cock mechanism.

  • The ball cock controls the water level in the tank.

  • If the float on the ball cock gets stuck, the tank may not refill properly.

  • The plumber replaced the faulty ball cock to stop the tank from overflowing.

  • A malfunctioning ball cock can cause leaks.

  • To fix the toilet, I replaced the old ball cock with a new one.

  • A malfunctioning ball cock can cause the water level in the tank to rise too high.

Synonyms

cock
vsball cock
9 8.6

A valve you turn to let water or gas flow

uses a floating ball to control liquid level rather than rotating flow control
ballcock
vsball cock
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A floating valve that controls the water level in a tank or cistern

has identical meaning but written as two words

Surface Forms

ball cock singular
ball cocks plural

Morphology

ball + cock

The compound is directly built from 'ball' (a spherical floating mass) and 'cock' (a valve), so its meaning — a valve operated by a floating ball — is transparently derivable from the constituents. This noun+noun composition is a straightforward technical description (parallels like 'ball valve'/'float valve' exist), so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Ball cock comes from the small floating ball and the old word cock for a valve or tap. The floating ball rises and falls to open or close the cock, so the name describes the part that 'controls the water level' in a tank.