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

And, in a nod to MLB, LA28 organizers scheduled the baseball competition in a preferred window, starting before any competition in gymnastics, swimming and track and field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

That was far too many paragraphs without talking baseball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

The deadly crash has brought attention to a little-known cargo carrier operating the flight—21 Air—and its well-known owner, Jim Crane, the logistics magnate and owner of the Houston Astros baseball team.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

She approaches conversations with voters the way she talks to the moms of the children on her son’s little league baseball team.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

Sam trotted back to the living room, where his dad was still watching baseball.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Amid the cameras and crowd, Dudamel and Harding stood side-by-side as batters launched baseballs across the field.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 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

“As a kid, I was just throwing things — baseballs, rocks, tennis balls, footballs,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2025

There they cooked and cleaned and stitched Mickey Mouse dolls and baseballs, working twelve to fourteen hours a day.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French