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Glite Dictionary
fair ball

fair ball

1 3.9
A ball hit by the batter that lands between the foul lines and is in play
  • noun
  • /fɛr bɔl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bola en juego
  • During the game, the umpire called it a fair ball when it landed between the foul lines.

Examples

  • Fair ball.

    Soul on Fire (2025)

  • Fair ball!

    Martian Child (2007)

  • That's a fair ball!

    Martian Child (2007)

  • If they botched a call—missed a clear strike or called a fair ball foul—you’re all over them.

    Blog text (32)

  • The batter hit a fair ball that sailed past the third baseman and into the outfield.

  • The player celebrated after hitting a fair ball that set him up for a double.

Antonyms

foul ball
  • US
12 2.8

A ball in baseball hit outside the marked lines that is not in play

Surface Forms

fair ball singular
fair balls plural

Morphology

fair + ball

The adjective 'fair' conveys a general sense of 'legitimate' or 'not foul', so a learner who knows both words can partly infer that a 'fair ball' is a valid or acceptable hit in the sport. However, the precise, rule-governed meaning (lands between the foul lines / in play) is specific to baseball and not fully predictable from everyday senses of 'fair' and 'ball', so prior knowledge of the sport's terminology is needed.

Etymology

Fair ball comes from the simple image of a ball landing in the fair part of the field between the two white 'foul' lines. That's why a fair ball today means a hit that lands inside or passes over those lines and is 'in play'.