First Known Use: 1573
Dictionary
1volley
noun vol·ley \ˈvä-lē\
sports : a shot or kick made by hitting a ball before it touches the ground
: a large number of bullets, arrows, stones, etc., that are shot or thrown at the same time
: a lot of comments, questions, etc., that are directed at a person very quickly
plural volleys
Full Definition of VOLLEY
1
a : a flight of missiles (as arrows) b : simultaneous discharge of a number of missile weapons c : one round per gun in a battery fired as soon as a gun is ready without regard to order d (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
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
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Origin of VOLLEY
Middle French volee flight, from voler to fly, from Old French, from Latin volare
Related to VOLLEY
2volley
verb
sports : to hit (a ball) while it is in the air and before it touches the ground
vol·leyedvol·ley·ing
Full Definition of VOLLEY
transitive verb
1
: to discharge in or as if in a volley
2
: to propel (an object) while in the air and before touching the ground; especially : to hit (a tennis ball) on the volley
intransitive verb
1
: to become discharged in or as if in a volley
2
: to make a volley; specifically : to volley an object of play (as in tennis)
— vol·ley·er noun
See volley defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of VOLLEY
1591
VOLLEY Defined for Kids
1volley
noun vol·ley \ˈvä-lē\
plural volleys
Definition of VOLLEY for Kids
1
: a group of missiles (as arrows or bullets) passing through the air
2
: the firing of many weapons (as rifles) at the same time
3
: a bursting forth of many things at once <a volley of questions>
4
: a hit or kick of the ball while it is in the air before it touches the ground <The player hit a volley over the net.>
2volley
verb
vol·leyedvol·ley·ing
Definition of VOLLEY for Kids
: to hit an object (as a ball) while it is in the air before it touches the ground
Medical Dictionary
volley
noun vol·ley \ˈväl-ē\
plural volleys
Medical Definition of VOLLEY
: a burst of simultaneous or immediately sequential nerve impulses passing to an end organ, synapse, or center
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