softball

noun

soft·​ball ˈsȯf(t)-ˌbȯl 

1

: a sport similar to baseball played on a small diamond with a ball that is larger than a baseball and that is pitched underhand

also : the ball used in this game

2

: a question requiring only an easy or simple response

softballer

ˈsȯf(t)-ˌbȯ-lər 

noun

Examples of softball in a Sentence

Do you want to play softball?

All the questions in the interview were softballs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Piedmont Hills softball player Isabella Flores is the Bay Area News Group’s girls high school athlete of the week for April 8-13. —Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024

Milo was a softball player at USD, playing every inning of 206 games across a four-year career and finishing with a .354 career batting average. —John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

softball

noun

soft·​ball ˈsȯf(t)-ˌbȯl 

: baseball played on a small diamond with a ball that is larger than a baseball and that is pitched underhand

also : the ball used in this game