southpaw
noun
Did you know?
Southpaw is of obscure origin. A popular theory holds that it comes from the onetime position of ballparks in relation to the sun. Supposedly, late 19th-century ballparks were laid out so that the pitcher looked in a westerly direction when facing the batter. The throwing arm of a left-handed pitcher would then be to the south-hence the name southpaw. This theory of its origin is undermined, however, by the fact that the original use of southpaw does not involve baseball at all. Rather, the term was used as early as 1848 to describe, simply, the left hand or a punch or blow given with the left hand. Today, we often use southpaw as a good-natured term for a left-handed person, but the word is sometimes viewed as stigmatizing by left-handed people.
Examples of southpaw in a Sentence
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
And now the latest star player to join the Red Sox, southpaw Ranger Suarez, has thrown in his own update on the longstanding rivalry.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
With Suárez and fellow southpaw starter Garrett Crochet signed for five and six years, respectively, the Red Sox can bolster their position-player group by trading from their young pitching core.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
The combination of his upper-90s fastball and devastating changeup led to the southpaw racking up 241 strikeouts.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Southpaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southpaw. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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southpaw
noun
