volley

1 of 2

noun

vol·​ley ˈvä-lē 

plural volleys

1

a(1)

: the flight of the ball (as in volleyball or tennis) or its course before striking the ground

also : a return of the ball before it touches the ground

(2)

: a kick of the ball in soccer before it rebounds

(3)

: the exchange of the shuttlecock in badminton following the serve

b

: a flight of missiles (such as arrows)

c

: simultaneous discharge of a number of missile weapons

d

: one round per gun in a battery fired as soon as a gun is ready without regard to order

2

a

: a burst or emission of many things or a large amount at once

received a volley of angry letters

b

: a burst of simultaneous or immediately sequential nerve impulses passing to an end organ, synapse, or center

volley

2 of 2

verb

volleyed; volleying

transitive verb

1

: to propel (an object) while in the air and before touching the ground

especially : to hit (a tennis ball) on the volley

2

: to discharge in or as if in a volley

intransitive verb

1

: to make a volley

specifically : to volley an object of play (as in tennis)

2

: to become discharged in or as if in a volley

volleyer noun

Synonyms of volley

Noun

• barrage
• flurry

Examples of volley in a Sentence

Noun

The tank was hit by a volley of bullets.

She was overwhelmed by a volley of questions from the press.

Verb

She volleyed the shot over the net.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Castro scored with a volley from inside the box in the 87th minute—enough for the Argentine team to advance with a 2-1 aggregate score. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Jorrel Hato misjudged the flight of the delivery, allowing Belloumi to emphatically half-volley a shot into the bottom corner. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Verb

The ability to effectively volley with conservatives led Democratic Party leaders to approach Tarlov about running for Congress in the district representing Staten Island. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Bassey and Robinson fail to sort out their marking responsibilities in the middle, and Kamada is allowed to ghost into the space to volley home. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French volee flight, from voler to fly, from Old French, from Latin volare

First Known Use

Noun

1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

1591, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Phrases Containing volley

• drop volley
• half volley

Rhymes for volley

• colley
• collie
• dolly
• folly
• golly
• holly
• jolley
• jolly
• lolly
• mollie
• molly
• ollie

Kids Definition

volley

1 of 2 noun

vol·​ley ˈväl-ē 

plural volleys

1

: a group of missiles (as arrows or bullets) passing through the air

2

: a firing of a number of weapons (as rifles) at the same time

3

: a bursting forth of many things at once

a volley of praise

4

: the act of volleying

volley

2 of 2 verb

volleyed; volleying

1

: to shoot in a volley

2

: to hit an object (as a ball) while it is in the air before it touches the ground

Medical Definition

volley

noun

vol·​ley ˈväl-ē 

plural volleys

: a burst of simultaneous or immediately sequential nerve impulses passing to an end organ, synapse, or center