volley

1 of 2

noun

vol·​ley ˈvä-lē How to pronounce volley (audio)
plural volleys
1
a(1)
: the flight of the ball (as in volleyball or tennis) or its course before striking the ground
also : a return of the ball before it touches the ground
(2)
: a kick of the ball in soccer before it rebounds
(3)
: the exchange of the shuttlecock in badminton following the serve
b
: a flight of missiles (such as arrows)
c
: simultaneous discharge of a number of missile weapons
d
: one round per gun in a battery fired as soon as a gun is ready without regard to order
2
a
: a burst or emission of many things or a large amount at once
received a volley of angry letters
b
: a burst of simultaneous or immediately sequential nerve impulses passing to an end organ, synapse, or center

volley

2 of 2

verb

volleyed; volleying

transitive verb

1
: to propel (an object) while in the air and before touching the ground
especially : to hit (a tennis ball) on the volley
2
: to discharge in or as if in a volley

intransitive verb

1
: to make a volley
specifically : to volley an object of play (as in tennis)
2
: to become discharged in or as if in a volley
volleyer noun

Examples of volley in a Sentence

Noun The tank was hit by a volley of bullets. She was overwhelmed by a volley of questions from the press. Verb She volleyed the shot over the net.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Imagery of the same location on Thursday — two days after Iran launched a volley of around 180 missiles at Israel for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — shows an empty sea around Kharg Island, with no ships in sight. Natasha Turak, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2024 Later work showed that the plant cells could respond with their own volley of RNA that damaged the fungus. Annie Melchor, WIRED, 13 Oct. 2024
Verb
After a series of short, quick passes, Suárez lofted a ball into the box that Messi volleyed into the corner. Johannes Sasay-Wada, CNN, 21 Oct. 2024 The scene has Chase catching Berle flirting with Chase’s fiancé (played by Kaia Gerber), and the two men begin to volley barbs back and forth at each other. Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for volley 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French volee flight, from voler to fly, from Old French, from Latin volare

First Known Use

Noun

1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

1591, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of volley was in 1573

Dictionary Entries Near volley

Cite this Entry

“Volley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volley. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

volley

1 of 2 noun
vol·​ley ˈväl-ē How to pronounce volley (audio)
plural volleys
1
: a group of missiles (as arrows or bullets) passing through the air
2
: a firing of a number of weapons (as rifles) at the same time
3
: a bursting forth of many things at once
a volley of praise
4
: the act of volleying

volley

2 of 2 verb
volleyed; volleying
1
: to shoot in a volley
2
: to hit an object (as a ball) while it is in the air before it touches the ground

Medical Definition

volley

noun
vol·​ley ˈväl-ē How to pronounce volley (audio)
plural volleys
: a burst of simultaneous or immediately sequential nerve impulses passing to an end organ, synapse, or center

More from Merriam-Webster on volley

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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