Volley means to send something back and forth rapidly, usually without letting it touch the ground. In tennis or volleyball, players volley the ball by hitting it before it bounces. A tennis player might rush the net to volley her opponent's shot, smacking it back across the net in one smooth motion.

The word also describes a burst of many things happening at once. A volley of arrows means many arrows fired together. Soldiers might fire a volley of shots simultaneously. You might face a volley of questions from your teacher, one after another without pause.

When people exchange ideas rapidly in conversation, they're volleying thoughts back and forth. Two debaters might volley arguments and counterarguments, each responding quickly to what the other just said. This kind of verbal volleying requires you to think fast and stay engaged.

The image behind all these meanings is the same: something moving back and forth with energy and speed, whether it's a tennis ball, a series of questions, or competing ideas bouncing between two people.