- to make or stroke with a half volley.
Origin of half-volley
First recorded in 1870–75
- (in tennis, racquets, etc.) a stroke in which the ball is hit the moment it bounces from the ground.
Origin of half volley
First recorded in 1875–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for half-volley
A half-volley came down from the pavilion end—a half-volley and off the wicket.The Hill
Horace Annesley Vachell
He bowled me a half-volley on the off the first ball I had in a school match.
The last ball of the over, a half-volley to leg, he lifted over the other boundary.
At last he mis-hit a half-volley and was caught in the deep for seventy-two.The Loom of Youth
Janet made a powerful stroke at it, apparently thinking it was a half-volley.The Girls of St. Cyprian's
- a stroke or shot in which the ball is hit immediately after it bounces
- to hit or kick (a ball) immediately after it bounces
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012