softball

noun

soft·​ball ˈsȯf(t)-ˌbȯl 

1

: a sport similar to baseball played on a small diamond with a ball that is larger than a baseball and that is pitched underhand

also : the ball used in this game

2

: a question requiring only an easy or simple response

softballer

ˈsȯf(t)-ˌbȯ-lər 

noun

Examples of softball in a Sentence

Do you want to play softball?

All the questions in the interview were softballs.

Recent Examples on the Web

That would include three of six tennis courts, a parking lot and a softball field. —Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2024

In one video a tiny female performer arrives home in an old-school softball uniform and gets it on with her coach. —Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 9 Sep. 2024

Baseball and softball were left out of the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, then included in Tokyo 2020, just to be cut again for Paris. —NBC News, 12 Aug. 2024

Of being the most consistent pitcher on his company’s softball team. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

softball

noun

soft·​ball ˈsȯf(t)-ˌbȯl 

: baseball played on a small diamond with a ball that is larger than a baseball and that is pitched underhand

also : the ball used in this game