Illustration of backhand
- backhand 1a
back·hand
ˈbak-ˌhand 
1
a
: a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement
also
: the side on which such strokes are made
b
: a catch (as in baseball) made to the side of the body opposite the hand being used
2
: handwriting whose strokes slant downward from left to right
: made with a backhand
a backhand tennis stroke
backhanded; backhanding; backhands
: to do, hit, or catch backhand
Examples of backhand in a Sentence
Noun
She has a good backhand but a weak forehand.
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
His pass put Harley one-on-one with Hellebuyck, who was beaten by a backhand over his left pad.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Jan. 2023
The Winterhawks don’t get back as a give-and-go between Korchinski and Schaefer in the neutral zone creates a 2-on-1, and Korchinski quickly makes a backhand feed to Crnkovic in front.
—Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 26 Nov. 2022
Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Dec. 2022
But daughter Christy Childers says her mom still rules at table tennis with a killer backhand.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2022
Joe Smith, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Jeff Malott and Taylor Ward fought for the puck from behind the goal line and Malott backhanded it to Helenius, who one-timed a wrist shot past Gibson from the left circle for his second goal of the season.
—Daily News, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhand
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
As Fiala started to size up Husso, Sennecke lifted Fiala’s stick and, in one motion, stole the puck and sent a backhand pass to Mikael Granlund.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
His pass put Harley one-on-one with Hellebuyck, who was beaten by a backhand over his left pad.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Dalton, who has four game-winning goals this season, beat Quinnipiac goalie Logan Angers with a backhand shot 11:42, then Emma Seitz scores from point-blank range from in front of the right circle at 16:21.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Jan. 2023
The Winterhawks don’t get back as a give-and-go between Korchinski and Schaefer in the neutral zone creates a 2-on-1, and Korchinski quickly makes a backhand feed to Crnkovic in front.
—Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 26 Nov. 2022
Adverb
Swayman stopped 30 of 32 in his first outing since Dec. 9, fooled by a Boone Jenner backhand and overmatched by a Patrik Laine one-timer.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Dec. 2022
But daughter Christy Childers says her mom still rules at table tennis with a killer backhand.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2022
Verb
On the third, Boldy found a bouncing rebound off his first shot and backhanded it in.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Jeff Malott and Taylor Ward fought for the puck from behind the goal line and Malott backhanded it to Helenius, who one-timed a wrist shot past Gibson from the left circle for his second goal of the season.
—Daily News, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhand
Cite this Entry
“Backhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backhand. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
backhand
1 of 4 noun
back·hand
-ˌhand
1
a
: a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement
b
: a catch made with the arm across the body and the palm turned away from the body
2
: handwriting in which the letters slant to the left
backhand
2 of 4 adjective
: using or made with a backhand
backhand
3 of 4 verb
: to do, hit, or catch with a backhand
backhand
4 of 4 adverb
variants
or backhanded
ˈbak-ˈhan-dəd
: with a backhand
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
