softball

American  

[sawft-bawl, soft-] / ˈsɔftˌbɔl, ˈsɒft- /

noun

softballs plural

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

2. the ball itself.

3. something that can be easily dealt with.

   The confirmation committee threw her a softball on that question.

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softball British  

/ ˈsɒftˌbɔːl /

noun

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

2. the ball used

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• softballs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of softball

First recorded in 1925–30; soft + ball ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

softball softballs

Some critics saw this is a way of avoiding serious scrutiny of polices in favour of softball questions from non-specialists.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Our daughter is a highly ranked competitive softball pitcher with a 3.94 GPA.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Her first college softball game may not result in the score that she had expected.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Baseball and softball leagues now compete for space with soccer in Curitiba’s parks, couples dance Cuba’s cha-cha in local bars and Cuban workers fill Curitiba’s construction sites and kitchens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Instead his attention wandered to a softball game being played on the nearby diamond.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Reporters not in the pool want access to getting their questions answered – even if they are softballs.

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2025

The projectiles were as big as softballs, according to police reports.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2023

On Ezell’s farm, it looks as if an 18-wheeler truck spilled its cargo to blanket her groves with bright yellow and green softballs.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 7, 2022

The researchers later returned to the ponds to record the number of egg masses the size of softballs that had been laid in the pools to estimate which choruses females might have preferred.

From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2022

She’s carrying a basket of neon-yellow softballs to the Firebus.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone