baseball

American  

[beys-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

Etymology

Origin of baseball

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

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

He became embarrassed after he was caught fabricating or embellishing stories about playing college baseball, responding to protest scenes and an award he won in the police academy, according to the motion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

PitchingNinja was a hobby that turned into an obsession, first for Mr. Friedman and then for members of the baseball media and the players themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

He enters reluctantly, since he knows nothing about baseball, and leaves fired up by the heroism of men like Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson.

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026

The national baseball organisation has also called off all scheduled games for the week.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first Negro player to break the color line in baseball, when owner Branch Rickey invited him to join the Brooklyn Dodgers and integrate what was then America’s favorite sport.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

The collection also will include baseballs, bats and a limited run of Topps trading cards that promise to feature KAWS’ interpretation of Dodgers and Yankees iconography.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

UC climate scientist Daniel Swain said this pattern will accelerate “for the rest of our lives as air continues to warm and baseballs continue to meet less and less resistance.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

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

The baseballs got top billing in the wide-ranging auction that included 579 items, but a Lou Gehrig game-worn jersey sold for well more than the three balls combined.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2025

We got Gearhart to requisition some gloves and baseballs from battalion supply.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers