baseball

American  

[bays-bawl] / ˈbeɪsˌbɔl /

noun

• baseballs
  plural

1. a game of ball between two nine-player teams played usually for nine innings on a field that has as a focal point a diamond-shaped infield with a home plate and three other bases, 90 feet (27 meters) apart, forming a circuit that must be completed by a base runner in order to score, the central offensive action entailing hitting of a pitched ball with a wooden or metal bat and running of the bases, the winner being the team scoring the most runs.

2. the ball used in this game, being a sphere approximately 3 inches (7 centimeters) in diameter with a twine-covered center of cork covered by stitched horsehide.

3. Cards. a variety of five-card or seven-card stud poker in which nines and threes are wild and in which threes and fours dealt face up gain the player either penalties or privileges.

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baseball British  

/ ˈbeɪsˌbɔːl /

noun

1. a team game with nine players on each side, played on a field with four bases connected to form a diamond. The object is to score runs by batting the ball and running round the bases

2. the hard rawhide-covered ball used in this game

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• probaseball
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• baseballs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of baseball

First recorded in 1795–1805; base ¹ + ball ¹

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Explanation

Baseball is a game in which a player hits a ball with a bat and runs around the field, stepping on three bases before returning to where he started. Most baseball games last seven innings. During a typical baseball game, two teams of nine players each take turns being at bat while the other team stands in the field attempting to catch any balls that are hit and tag running players out before they are safe on a base. Though baseball was first played in 19th century England in the form of "rounders," it's been considered the US national sport since the early 20th century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baseball baseballs

With the winter meetings in December expected to be canceled because of a lockout, GM meetings likely will be the one time for baseball operations leaders to all gather under the same roof this offseason.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

I didn’t really come back to baseball until roughly 20 years later.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Much of the drama of baseball inheres in its slowness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

PETERSBURG, Fla.—When Mark Attanasio bought the Milwaukee Brewers in 2005, he immediately established a standard for his baseball team that at the time sounded entirely unrealistic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Three days old, but my only lifeline to American baseball scores.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Babe Ruth once visited the Toledo Blade headquarters, tossing signed baseballs from a balcony to adoring crowds below.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

“From the time we announced we had these baseballs until now, no one else has come forward and said they have the balls. There’s been no contention.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2025

Television cameras caught Kershaw laughing as his kids ran the bases, tried to throw baseballs at a hovering drone and enjoyed a diamond that had become their own personal childhood playground over the years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

Remember what it was like to see him make baseballs vanish into the October night the next time there are whispers about how the Dodgers might be better off with Ohtani focusing entirely on hitting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025

And though he hasn’t said anything else about the convict baseballs, I know he’s thinking about it.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

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