zorb
English
Etymology
Originally the trademarked name of a particular brand of sphere; perhaps from orb.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /zɔː(ɹ)b/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)b
Noun
zorb (plural zorbs)
- (sports) A large, transparent, inflatable ball, inside which a person may be secured and then rolled downhill.
- 2006 March 25, Susmita Saha, quoting Anurag Mehra, “A different ballgame”, in Calcutta Telegraph[1]:
- Uneven plains that are interspersed with pebbles and rocks are likely to cause punctures in the zorbs.
- 2007, William Gray, “Wellington”, in Travel with Kids[2], →ISBN, page 309:
- There's even a kids' zorb for the under six.
- 2008, Katrin Blumberg, “Internationalisation in adventure tourism”, in Coles & Hall, editors, International Business and Tourism[3], →ISBN, page 175:
- An Interlaken entrepreneur […] came across the activity in the Swiss canton of Valais (the Rhone Valley) and ended up buying the 'zorbs' from a German manufacturer.
Synonyms
Verb
zorb (third-person singular simple present zorbs, present participle zorbing, simple past and past participle zorbed)
- (sports) To roll downhill or engage in sports in a zorb ball.
- 2003, Damien Simonis et al., Switzerland[4], Lonely Planet, →ISBN, page 57:
- People who've zorbed in New Zealand, say Swiss mountains are too steep to allow the leisurely roll-out that's the real thrill.
- 2006, John Gisby, New Zealand with a Hobbit Botherer[5], →ISBN, page 41:
- We hadn't even zorbed. Not all bad news then.
- 2008 March 3, David Bauder, “What a way to start the day: TV morning hosts doing stunts”, in Seattle Times[6]:
- Vieira zorbed — that is, rolled down a hill within an inflatable ball.