"blue balls" means: A cramp-like ache in the testicles and prostate region caused by prolonged sexual arousal; testicles experiencing such an ache.. The term has a sexual reference, so parents may want to know the context in which a child uses or hears it. In most cases it is part of normal teenage curiosity rather than a concrete worry. A short, non-judgemental conversation about consent, respect and online safety is usually the best response. Look at the wider pattern of behaviour, not the one word.
blue balls
(slang) A cramp-like ache in the testicles and prostate region caused by prolonged sexual arousal; testicles experiencing such an ache.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1910 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
Definitions
(slang) A cramp-like ache in the testicles and prostate region caused by prolonged sexual arousal; testicles experiencing such an ache.
"blue balls" means: A cramp-like ache in the testicles and prostate region caused by prolonged sexual arousal; testicles experiencing such an ache.. The term has a sexual reference, so parents may want to know the context in which a child uses or hears it. In most cases it is part of normal teenage curiosity rather than a concrete worry. A short, non-judgemental conversation about consent, respect and online safety is usually the best response. Look at the wider pattern of behaviour, not the one word.
"blue balls" means: A cramp-like ache in the testicles and prostate region caused by prolonged sexual arousal; testicles experiencing such an ache.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
“This Iran war has been so close to ending for so long, I'm beginning to get blue balls.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(slang, figuratively) Unfulfilled sexual desire.
It invades lymphatics, is carried to the inguinal lymph nodes, where multiple abscesses, buboes, or "blue balls" appear. A brawny edema of the labia, with deeply penetrating destructive ulcers may occur in the late stages.
Comments
(US, dated, slang) Buboes (in a person of any sex) caused by a sexually transmitted infection; the infection that causes them.
“G-mart is always giving me comic book pre-order blue balls. Let's go, it's passed May 1st let me pre-order. 😁😁😁”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "blue balls" (B)
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- blue-balled75%
(vulgar, slang) Sexually frustrated, usually in the sense of having failed to orgasm despite feelings of sexual arousal.
- blue-ball72%
(slang, vulgar, transitive) To leave (a person, usually a man) sexually frustrated by denying them an orgasm or abruptly ending sexual contact.
- blue-balled67%
(vulgar, slang) Extremely disappointed or underwhelmed.