volley

1 of 2

noun

vol·​ley ˈvä-lē How to pronounce volley (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Maintained in this state of wild vexation by volleys of planetary radiation— what if a genie replaced your phone with the club of somebody’s tibia bone? James Parker, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024 The volley of digital ads paints Valadao as corrupt and responsible for the rising costs of housing and health care. Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024
Verb
Toti met Ait-Nouri’s delivery uncontested and Colwill was in no position to cut out his header across to Jorgen Strand Larsen, who threw himself at the ball and volleyed it in. Liam Twomey, The Athletic, 28 Aug. 2024 There’s a lot of back and forth between Mendez and Yancy, with Mendez threatening and gloating and Yancy volleying everything back to him sharply. Erin Qualey, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for volley 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of volley was in 1573

Dictionary Entries Near volley

Cite this Entry

“Volley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volley. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

volley

1 of 2 noun
vol·​ley ˈväl-ē How to pronounce volley (audio)
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 How to pronounce volley (audio)
plural volleys
: a burst of simultaneous or immediately sequential nerve impulses passing to an end organ, synapse, or center

More from Merriam-Webster on volley

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