fair ball

American

noun

Baseball.

a batted ball that both lands and settles within the foul lines in the infield, or that is within the foul lines when bounding to the outfield past first or third base, or that first lands within the foul lines of the outfield or would if it were not caught or deflected.

Etymology

Origin of fair ball

First recorded in 1855–60

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:

fair ball

A trio of Pirates scored Sunday when New York pitcher Taijuan Walker knocked a barely fair ball into foul territory and nobody went to retrieve it.

From Fox News ● Jul. 20, 2021

But TV replays showed the ball was touching the chalk when Walker hit it, and plate umpire Jeremy Riggs called it a fair ball.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 19, 2021

Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the eighth when the ball boy down the first-base line mistakenly picked up a fair ball, resulting in a ground-rule double.

From Washington Times ● May 5, 2018

When Bucky Dent of the Yankees hit a go-ahead three-run homer over the Green Monster in left field in the seventh inning, Mr. Palermo signaled that it was a fair ball.

From New York Times ● May 15, 2017

It was a straight-away, honest and fair ball that he sent.

From Dick Prescotts's Fourth Year at West Point Ready to Drop the Gray for Shoulder Straps by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023