volley
Americannoun
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volleys
plural
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the simultaneous discharge of a number of missiles or firearms.
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the missiles so discharged.
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a burst or outpouring of many things at once or in quick succession.
a volley of protests.
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Tennis.
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the flight of the ball before it hits the ground.
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the return of the ball before it hits the ground.
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Soccer. a kick of the ball before it bounces on the ground.
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Cricket. a ball so bowled that it hits the wicket before it touches the ground.
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Mining. the explosion of several charges at one time.
verb (used with object)
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volleys,
present (3rd person singular)
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volleyed,
past participle, past
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volleying
present participle
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to discharge in or as in a volley.
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Tennis. to return (the ball) before it hits the ground.
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Soccer. to kick (the ball) before it bounces on the ground.
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Cricket. to bowl (a ball) in such a manner that it is pitched near the top of the wicket.
verb (used without object)
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volleys,
present (3rd person singular)
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volleyed,
past participle, past
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volleying
present participle
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to fly or be discharged together, as missiles.
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to move or proceed with great rapidity, as in a volley.
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to fire a volley; sound together, as firearms.
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Tennis, Soccer. to return the ball before it touches the ground.
noun
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the simultaneous discharge of several weapons, esp firearms
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the projectiles or missiles so discharged
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a burst of oaths, protests, etc, occurring simultaneously or in rapid succession
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sport a stroke, shot, or kick at a moving ball before it hits the ground Compare half volley
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cricket the flight of such a ball or the ball itself
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the simultaneous explosion of several blastings of rock
verb
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to discharge (weapons, etc) in or as if in a volley or (of weapons, etc) to be discharged
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(tr) to utter vehemently or sound loudly and continuously
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(tr) sport to strike or kick (a moving ball) before it hits the ground
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(intr) to issue or move rapidly or indiscriminately
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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volleysimple
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volleyssimple
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have volleyedperfect
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has volleyedperfect
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am volleyingprogressive
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are volleyingprogressive
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is volleyingprogressive
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have been volleyingperfect progressive
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has been volleyingperfect progressive
Past
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volleyedsimple
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had volleyedperfect
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was volleyingprogressive
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were volleyingprogressive
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had been volleyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of volley
1565–75; < Middle French volee flight, noun use of feminine past participle of voler to fly < Latin volāre
Explanation
When an attacking army lets loose a barrage of bullets all at once, it's called a volley. A volley of bullets, arrows, or rocks describes a large number of them being shot or thrown simultaneously. Another meaning of the noun volley involves just one projectile: a returned tennis ball, usually one that hasn't hit the ground before being smacked by a racket. The military meaning of volley has been around since the 1500's, while the sports meaning didn't arise until the late 1800's. The root word is the Latin volare, "to fly."
Vocabulary lists containing volley
The Smashing Lexicon of Tennis
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A Soccer and a Football Special
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The Week in Words: March 24 - 30, 2018
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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:
She raised her hands to halt the point toward the end of a lengthy rally, just before Sun returned a volley that could have put her just two points shy of winning the first set.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Representatives for Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Loews hotel chains, all targeted in the first volley of lawsuits, did not respond to requests for comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
The lawsuit is the latest volley in a battle between Optimum and its creditors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Emiliano Martinez: The new signing was thrown straight in, claiming two early crosses and making saves from Malick Yalcouye and Charalampos Kostoulas - though the former did beat him with a well-struck volley.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
He had been hoping to face a solid charge, unleash a full volley, but the Rebs seemed to be coming on like a lapping wave, rolling up the beach.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Two tanker ships were attacked off the coast of Oman on Monday, in the latest volleys in the area.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Now he’s gone dark, deleting his X.com account after exchanging volleys with a radio reporter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
German fans got to watch six top-10 players, including Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, test their serves and volleys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
The U.S. would need to weigh the risk of damage from Iranian retaliatory volleys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The cheers from across the gym were like volleys of arrows piercing our grand delusion.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
Betis had more of the ball in an otherwise even first half before Ruibal volleyed them ahead after 57 minutes.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
Riccardo Orsolini levelled the scores for Italian Cup holders Bologna with his penalty 10 minutes before half-time, cancelling out Marcus Thuram's early volleyed opener for Inter.
From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025
Alas, Seattle volleyed back with its own 56-yard field goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
Bukayo Saka: Scored an excellent first-half goal when he volleyed in the rebound off O'Reilly's shot.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025
Bien paused, then flicked a pass to Idwar, who volleyed it into the net.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
Leif Davis equalised for Ipswich in the 53rd minute, volleying home unmarked from the edge of the area when Marcelino Nunez found him with a precise outswinging corner.
From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025
And so, on a black Christmas night, with sleet volleying into their faces, columns of men struggled through some of the most inhospitable fields to ever yield up a victory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
“And then when they were volleying, I feel like you could hear a burger flip in the kitchen.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
This summer, she plans to begin shooting the third seasons of those latter two series, volleying from one to the other.
From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
It was dark here in front: only the bright door sent ten square feet of light volleying out into the soft black morning.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
