volleyball
noun
Simple meaning
A game in which two teams hit an inflated ball over a high net using their hands.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
vahleebawlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈvɑlibɔl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A game in which two teams hit an inflated ball over a high net using their hands
“They played a challenging game of volleyball on the beach.”
uncountable
A game played on a rectangular court between two teams of two to six players which involves striking a ball back and forth over a net.
countable
The inflated ball used in such a game.
An inflated ball used in playing volleyball
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: A game in which two teams hit an inflated ball over a high net using their hands
Used this way, volleyball is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“They played a challenging game of volleyball on the beach.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “volleyball on …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Nearby words
- volleyball game , rarer, so it draws attention
Natural pattern: volleyball on …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use volleyball
- “We played a fun game of volleyball on the beach last Saturday.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The court on which volleyball is played.
A game in which two teams hit an inflated ball over a high net using their hands.
The high net that separates the two teams and over which the volleyball must pass.
Someone who plays the game of volleyball.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- lacrossenoun
- tennisnoun
- softballnoun
- basketballnoun
- badmintonnoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: game in which two teams hit an inflated ball over a high net using their hands
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.