beachball
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To hang; to stop responding to user input; (used of Mac computers, where this is indicated by a spinning coloured cursor like a beach ball).
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
Is Xcode “beachballing” forever on you when we try to open a project that was working fine the day before?
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “beachball” mean?
To hang; to stop responding to user input; (used of Mac computers, where this is indicated by a spinning coloured cursor like a beach ball).
Is “beachball” formal or informal?
beachball is generally slang.