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

When reports of the Windwave deal reached Melissa Lindsay, her confusion over Neal’s softball negotiating tactics with Amazon disappeared. —Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025

Insogna was athletic — an avid volleyball and softball player who worked as a civil engineer at the Napa Sanitation District. —Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025

His mother, Stacie Symonds, is one of the best softball players Palm Beach County history, starred at FSU and on Tuesday was inducted into the USSSA Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 21 Nov. 2025

Padove most recently served as senior manager, baseball and softball development at MLB. —Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 21 Nov. 2025

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