softball

[ sawft-bawl, soft- ]

/ ˈsɔftˌbɔl, ˈsɒft- /

a form of baseball played on a smaller diamond with a ball that is larger and softer than a baseball.

the ball itself.

something that can be easily dealt with: The confirmation committee threw her a softball on that question.

Origin of softball

First recorded in 1925–30; soft + ball¹

Morning talk shows should be a doddle for a President: softball questions easily answered with a platitude or three.

‘Michelle Will Not Run For Office’: Obama's Daytime TV Confessional |Lloyd Grove |May 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Erick was in the kitchen with the girls, getting ready to leave for his softball game.

The Cost: What Stop and Frisk Does to a Young Man’s Soul |Rilla Askew |May 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Ann is a pleasant brunette, a former class officer, yearbook editor, and member of the softball team at Dryden High.

The Stacks: The Searing Story of How Murder Stalked a Tiny New York Town |E. Jean Carroll |April 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
By 14, he was a bartender whose heroes were the softball players who raced into the bar for a beer between innings.

The Stacks: John Schulian’s Classic Profile of Newspaper Columnist Mike Royko |John Schulian |January 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

He wasn't quite sure how he'd be spending his summer, but he was thinking of volunteering for a softball league.

From PTSD to Prison: Why Veterans Become Criminals |Matthew Wolfe |July 28, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
It is amazing that it only took us two days and there was room enough for a football field and two softball diamonds.

The Biography of a Rabbit |Roy Benson
Ang búla sa bisbul gulam kay sa búla sa supbul, The ball used for baseball is slightly smaller than the ball for softball.

A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan |John U. Wolff
Well, 'bout de biggest things us played when I was a chap was baseball, softball, and marbles.

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves |Work Projects Administration
The level area between the creek and the road was large enough so we could have softball games and park cars there.

The Biography of a Rabbit |Roy Benson
She looked around, but no one was paying any attention, they were all watching the softball game.

The Circuit Riders |R. C. FitzPatrick

softball

/ (ˈsɒftˌbɔːl) /

a variation of baseball using a larger softer ball, pitched underhand

the ball used

cookery the stage in the boiling of a sugar syrup at which it may be rubbed into balls after dipping in cold water