softball

American

[sawft-bawl, soft-] / ˈsɔftˌbɔl, ˈsɒft- /

noun

a form of baseball played on a smaller diamond with a ball that is larger and softer than a baseball.
the ball itself.
something that can be easily dealt with.

The confirmation committee threw her a softball on that question.

softball British

/ ˈsɒftˌbɔːl /

noun

a variation of baseball using a larger softer ball, pitched underhand
the ball used
cookery the stage in the boiling of a sugar syrup at which it may be rubbed into balls after dipping in cold water

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of softball

First recorded in 1925–30; soft + ball ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those will be another overly large Games with venues spread from the beaches of San Clemente to a softball venue in Oklahoma City.

From Los Angeles Times

Here are the preseason softball rankings for the Southland from CalHISports.com.

From Los Angeles Times

High school softball season begins on Wednesday with a great rematch of playoff teams from last season: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame plays El Segundo in a 6 p.m. game at L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

She had dreamed of representing the U.S. in softball, which she played on a scholarship at George Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead his attention wandered to a softball game being played on the nearby diamond.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023