volleyballn.
/ˈvɒlɪbɔːl/, U.S. /ˈvɑliˌbɔl/, /ˈvɑliˌbɑl/ Originally U.S.
A game for two teams, usually of six players, who are positioned on either side of a high net and who attempt to score points by hitting a large ball by hand over the net so that it touches the ground on the opposing team’s side of the court, while also attempting to prevent the opposition from scoring in this way. Also: the ball used in this game.beach volleyball, sitting volleyball: see the first element.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > handball, etc. > [noun] > volleyball
volleyball1896
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > handball, etc. > [noun] > volleyball > ball
volleyball1959
1896 Physical Educ. Mar. 50/1 Mr. W. G. Morgan of Holyoke, Mass., has developed a game..which is called Volley Ball... The play consists in keeping a ball in motion over a high net,..thus partaking of the character of two games,—tennis and hand ball.
1936 P. Fleming News from Tartary vii. i. 325 In the evening we played tennis with the Russians, or football or volley-ball with the Hunza guard.
1959 Boys' Life Sept. 19/1 The rangy college students..were expertly flicking a volleyball in a passing drill.
2004 Cosmo Girl Aug. 13/3 I was wearing my sexiest bikini and persuaded my mates to play some volleyball so we could impress the lads.
2018 M. Obama Becoming xxiii. 381 She and her husband..had watched over Hadiya carefully,..signing her up for volleyball, cheerleading, and a dance ministry at church.
Compounds
General use as modifier.
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1896 Fitchburg (Mass.) Daily Sentinel 22 Oct. 6/3 A volley ball league will be formed and an exhibition game will be played, Saturday evening, in the gymnasium.
1899 Washington Times 15 Oct. 11/1 In addition to basketball and volleyball teams, the Y. M. C. A. will introduce to this city the game of indoor baseball.
1962 Jrnl. Physical Educ. 60 7/3 John Gay, the volleyball instructor, astonished the group with his soft touch and his booming spikes.
2011 Independent 15 Aug. (Viewspaper section) 6/3 The standout stars of the volleyball tournament were British contestants, Zara Damphney and Shauna Mills.
Derivatives
ˈvolleyballer n. a volleyball player.
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1914 Kokomo (Indiana) Daily Tribune 7 Apr. 8/5 The Ware volleyballers ‘put one over’ on the Will MacBrown team in the ‘B’ league game at the ‘Y’ Monday evening.
1990 J. Wambaugh Golden Orange i. 17 The volleyballer retreated to his mom's Mercedes.
2011 Times 13 July (Times Modern section) 5/4 She had often been told to do what female volleyballers do and play in a skimpier kit.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1896