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

After playing college softball at Hampton University, she was selected in the first round of the WPBL draft by the Los Angeles Queens. — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

His daughters earned Division I college softball scholarships, and the day job loading and unloading luggage allowed Agbayani to fly his kids to the mainland more frequently for exposure. — Tim Britton, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026

There’s a playground, basketball courts, tennis courts and six softball fields. — Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026

Over the decades, the equipment evolved into today’s version of the sport, featuring a beeping softball and four-foot-tall buzzing foam bases that guide players through sound. — Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for softball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

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