backhand

1 of 4

noun

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

Illustration of backhand

• backhand 1a

backhand

2 of 4

adjective

: made with a backhand

a backhand tennis stroke

backhand

3 of 4

adverb

back·​hand ˈbak-ˌhand 

variants or backhanded

ˈbak-ˈhan-dəd 

: with a backhand

backhand

4 of 4

verb

backhanded; backhanding; backhands

transitive verb

: 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

Noun

After a backhand stop, Clement jumped from shallow center field and threw to first in time. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 15 July 2026

Gauff said toward her box on Centre Court Tuesday when quarterfinal opponent Jessica Pegula’s final backhand found the net in a tough 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Adjective

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

Larkin had a backhand attempt early in the power play, but otherwise a unit of him, Bertuzzi, Raymond, Seider and David Perron were unable to create much. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, 8 Oct. 2022

Adverb

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

When one last backhand by Nadal found the net, Tiafoe put his hands on his head. — Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022

Verb

Nosková kept close to Muchová’s tricks, using shots other than the core forehands and backhands on about a quarter of her chances, about the same rate as her opponent. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 11 July 2026

Mets left-fielder MJ Melendez’s A+, backhanded snag of a hooking liner by Miguel Andujar. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1695, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1767, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for backhand

• armband
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand
• farmland

Kids 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