volleyball
gb/vˈɑlibˌɔl/ us/vˈɑlibˌɔl/
A2
English
~ 7600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
event
1
team sport played over a net
A sport where two teams hit a ball over a high net and try to make it touch the ground on the other team’s side.
Usage pattern:
to play volleyball
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"I play the volleyball"* when talking about the sport. In English, we usually say *"I play volleyball"* with no article. Use *volleyball* without *a* or *the* when you mean the sport in general. Another mistake is confusing the sport (uncountable: *I like volleyball*) with a match or game (countable: *We played two games of volleyball*).
Synonyms
team sport (More general; refers to any sport played in teams, not specifically volleyball.)
Antonyms
individual sport (Refers to sports played by one person alone, unlike volleyball which is played in teams.)
Collocations
play volleyball
|indoor volleyball
|beach volleyball
|volleyball game
|volleyball team
|volleyball court
Themes
sports
|leisure
|school
Examples
- We play volleyball in the gym every Tuesday after school.
- She joined the university volleyball team in her first year.
- Beach volleyball is my favorite sport to watch in the summer.
- The school is building a new outdoor court for volleyball.
- They organized a charity volleyball tournament at the community center.
Learner examples
- I like to play volleyball with my friends.
- Our class has volleyball on Friday.
- He watches volleyball on TV every weekend.
- They learned the rules of volleyball in P.E. class.
- We played volleyball at the beach yesterday.
unknown
B1
entity
2
ball used in volleyball
The ball that people hit over the net when they play the sport volleyball.
Usage pattern:
a volleyball; the volleyball
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget to use an article when talking about one ball and say *"I bought volleyball"* instead of *"I bought a volleyball"*. Use *a* or *the* when you mean the physical ball, but no article when you talk about the sport in general (*I like volleyball*).
Synonyms
ball (More general; refers to any round object used in sports or games, not just for volleyball.)
Antonyms
flat ball (Describes a ball without air, which cannot be used properly as a volleyball.)
Collocations
hit the volleyball
|serve the volleyball
|inflate the volleyball
|leather volleyball
|rubber volleyball
|catch the volleyball
Themes
sports
|objects
Examples
- The volleyball rolled out of the court and into the parking lot.
- She bought a new volleyball for practice.
- He served the volleyball so hard that it almost hit the ceiling.
- Can you pump more air into the volleyball?
- The coach asked us to put all the volleyballs back in the bag.
Learner examples
- The volleyball is on the floor.
- He hits the volleyball very hard.
- We need one more volleyball for the game.
- Please bring a volleyball to the park.
- This volleyball is old; it does not bounce well.
Grammar
Expressions
beach volleyball
1/bˈit͡ʃ vˈɑlibˌɔl/
fixed phrase
volleyball played on sand
A type of volleyball played on sand, usually outside, often with two players on each team.
Examples
- Beach volleyball is an official Olympic sport.
- We played beach volleyball on the sand until sunset.
play volleyball
1/plˈeɪ vˈɑlibˌɔl/
fixed phrase
take part in volleyball
To take part in the sport of volleyball as a player.
Examples
- They go to the gym twice a week to play volleyball.
- I used to play volleyball in high school, but now I just watch it on TV.