softball

[ sawft-bawl, soft- ]

/ ˈsɔftˌbɔl, ˈsɒft- /

noun

a form of baseball played on a smaller diamond with a ball that is larger and softer than a baseball.

the ball itself.

something that can be easily dealt with: The confirmation committee threw her a softball on that question.

Words nearby softball

soft-soaper, soft-spoken, soft-top, softa, softback, softball, softballer, softboard, softbound, soften, soften up

Origin of softball

First recorded in 1925–30; soft + ball¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for softball

Morning talk shows should be a doddle for a President: softball questions easily answered with a platitude or three.
‘Michelle Will Not Run For Office’: Obama's Daytime TV Confessional|Lloyd Grove|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Erick was in the kitchen with the girls, getting ready to leave for his softball game.
The Cost: What Stop and Frisk Does to a Young Man’s Soul|Rilla Askew|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ann is a pleasant brunette, a former class officer, yearbook editor, and member of the softball team at Dryden High.
The Stacks: The Searing Story of How Murder Stalked a Tiny New York Town|E. Jean Carroll|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By 14, he was a bartender whose heroes were the softball players who raced into the bar for a beer between innings.
The Stacks: John Schulian’s Classic Profile of Newspaper Columnist Mike Royko|John Schulian|January 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He wasn't quite sure how he'd be spending his summer, but he was thinking of volunteering for a softball league.
From PTSD to Prison: Why Veterans Become Criminals|Matthew Wolfe|July 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It is amazing that it only took us two days and there was room enough for a football field and two softball diamonds.
The Biography of a Rabbit|Roy Benson
Ang búla sa bisbul gulam kay sa búla sa supbul, The ball used for baseball is slightly smaller than the ball for softball.
A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan|John U. Wolff
Well, 'bout de biggest things us played when I was a chap was baseball, softball, and marbles.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves|Work Projects Administration
The level area between the creek and the road was large enough so we could have softball games and park cars there.
The Biography of a Rabbit|Roy Benson
She looked around, but no one was paying any attention, they were all watching the softball game.
The Circuit Riders|R. C. FitzPatrick

British Dictionary definitions for softball

softball

/ (ˈsɒftˌbɔːl) /

noun

a variation of baseball using a larger softer ball, pitched underhand

the ball used

cookery the stage in the boiling of a sugar syrup at which it may be rubbed into balls after dipping in cold water

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012