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

When a young Ronaldo first joined the squad, he arrived at camp with his baseball cap on backwards, enormous sunglasses and headphones turned up so loud they could be heard from a distance.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

On the way in, it was hard to avoid free swag from the De La Cruz campaign, which gave out baseball hats, T-shirts, and pens.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

The host of amenities is jaw-dropping and includes a professionally lit baseball field, indoor pickleball and basketball courts, and a guesthouse.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

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

People of all different ages play and splash in the pool, as if this is normal—as if the pool isn’t as big as a baseball field and holding water the color of algae.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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

It was umpires nearly running out of baseballs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025

What he really wanted was the pint-size soccer balls, squishy baseballs, plastic bowling balls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2025

She took out three—no, not books of Shakespeare, like you might think—three brand-new baseballs, their covers as white as snow, their threads tight and ready for fingers to grip into a curve.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

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