softball

softball — noun

1. a game like baseball but with a bigger, softer ball that the pitcher sends to th

1.nounB1
Definition

a game like baseball but with a bigger, softer ball that the pitcher sends to the batter from below the shoulder; players then try to hit the ball with a bat and run around four bases to earn points for their team.

Example

Mira and her friends play softball every Saturday at the city park.

collocation: play + sport name

The school softball team practiced pitching and catching for two hours.

collocation: softball team / practice pitching

Common collocations
  • play softball
  • softball team
  • softball game
  • softball league
  • softball tournament
  • hit a home run in softball
Synonyms
  • baseball

    a related but distinct sport with a smaller, harder ball and overhand pitching; 'softball' is not a synonym of 'baseball' but the two are often compared.

Grammar Patterns

softball as uncountable sport name

Usage Note

Unlike baseball, the pitcher throws the ball underhand in softball. The field is also smaller — bases are about 60 feet apart instead of 90.

Common Mistakes

I play softball with a baseball bat.
I play softball with a softball bat.
Softball bats are thinner and lighter than baseball bats.

2. the large, soft ball that is used in the sport of softball — it is bigger and so

2.nounB1
Definition

the large, soft ball that is used in the sport of softball — it is bigger and softer than a baseball, usually white or yellow, and about twelve inches around.

Example

Mert tossed the softball to Cole before the match started.

toss + the softball + to + person

The player caught the white softball and threw it back to the pitcher.

Common collocations
  • throw a softball
  • catch a softball
  • hit a softball
  • regulation softball
  • yellow softball
  • softball glove

Grammar Patterns

softball as a physical object

Usage Note

The softball is significantly larger than a baseball — approximately 12 inches (30 cm) around versus 9 inches (23 cm) for a baseball. Softballs are often bright yellow for better visibility.

Common Mistakes

He threw a baseball during the softball match.
He threw a softball during the softball match.
A baseball and a softball are different sizes and should not be mixed up.

Word family

  • softballer
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Softball, baseball, cricket, and rounders are all bat-and-ball sports, but each has distinct rules. Baseball uses a smaller, harder ball thrown overhand on a diamond with 90-foot base paths. Softball uses a larger, softer ball thrown underhand on a smaller diamond (60-foot bases), making it accessible to a wider range of ages and fitness levels. Cricket involves a flat bat and a hard ball bowled (bounced) on a pitch, with runs scored by running between wickets rather than bases. Rounders, popular in British schools, uses a smaller bat and a ball that is thrown underhand, but the running pattern and scoring are simpler. In short: if the pitcher throws underhand on a small field, it is probably softball; if overhand on a large field, it is baseball; if a flat bat on a grass pitch, it is cricket; if a short bat with posts, it is rounders.

baseball ↗cricket ↗rounders

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • play softball
  • throw a softball
  • catch a softball
  • hit a softball
  • softball game

Prepositions

  • in (a league / a game / a tournament)
  • with (a glove / a bat)

Etymology

English

The word 'softball' is a compound of 'soft' and 'ball', referring to the larger, softer ball used in the game. The sport was invented in 1887 by George Hancock in Chicago as an indoor winter alternative to baseball. It was originally called 'indoor baseball', and the name 'softball' did not become standard until the 1920s–1930s.