fastball

noun

fast·​ball ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl 

: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed and often appearing to rise slightly as it nears the plate

fastballer

ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯ-lər 

noun

Examples of fastball in a Sentence

He struck him out with a fastball.

Recent Examples on the Web

The right-hander’s arsenal features a slider, four-seam fastball and cutter. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 7 July 2026

His simple two-pitch mix, featuring a 100 mph fastball, offers a credible, fresh arm for a Dodgers bullpen currently missing seven key relievers. — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Fouling off a sinker in the heart of the zone, swinging through a sweeper above the zone and then having to swing at a fastball on the outer edge and grounding into a force out? — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026

Then, two batters later, reliever Kyle Hurt threw a four-seam fastball down the middle of the plate, and Machado rocketed the pitch to the center field wall beyond the grasp of a leaping Pages. — Liana Handler follow, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fastball

• cut fastball
• split-fingered fastball

Rhymes for fastball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

fastball

noun

fast·​ball ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl 

: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed