noun
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a game in which two teams hit a large ball back and forth over a high net with their hands
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the ball used in this game
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of volleyball
Explanation
Interested in playing a team sport? Consider volleyball, a game in which players use their arms and hands to hit a ball across a net, trying to keep the ball in the air. Teams score a point when the volleyball hits the floor on their opponent's side. There are two ways to play volleyball: in a gym and outside in the sand, a style known as beach volleyball. The indoor version requires six players per team, while the beach style has two players per side. Volleyball is a serious sport (it's even played in the Olympics), but you can also play for fun at a picnic or at the beach. Volleyball was invented in the late 1800s, right around the time basketball was first catching on.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Two teams were sent to the wrong venue, delaying a volleyball match.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
South Korea's men's volleyball players were forced to cancel their practice on Monday morning after an official bus went to the incorrect place.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
There’s also the Venice girls volleyball tournament taking place at Venice High and the Woodbridge Classic cross-country meet at the Great Park in Irvine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
Coach Noel Padilla has players from baseball, soccer, volleyball and track teams and stunned Marquez last week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
Trent served first—he always served first—and we bump-set-spiked back and forth, while I tried to stay out of Trent’s way, because he was a very intense volleyball player.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Kendrick and Lively toss barbs like volleyballs, occasionally landing a good spike that makes the other one speechless.
From Salon ● May 3, 2025
The real-life adaptation, created by students in the United States in 2005, is equally fast-paced and sees so-called chasers trying to throw quaffles - semi-deflated volleyballs - through the opposition's hoops.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2025
Comical as it is at times to watch 300-pound linemen lunge for volleyballs, the drill has a purpose.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 3, 2022
She dragged her younger cousins to the beach with a couple of volleyballs, asking them to serve to her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2021
Each morning, a load of stones about the size of volleyballs was dumped by the entrance to the courtyard.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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