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

The Frenchman did — and 39-year-old Djokovic dove to hit a backhand volley winner on match point for a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) record-equaling victory in the third round at Wimbledon on Friday. — ABC News, 3 July 2026

In the second set, Joint immediately broke Williams for a 1-0 lead with a backhand winner up the line. — Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 30 June 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

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

Logan Stankoven opened the scoring 66 seconds into the game, gathering a puck that had bounced off the end boards and backhanding it past Hart. — Michael Russo, New York Times, 12 June 2026

With the tying run on third base, Susac cleanly backhanded a spiked splitter from Winn that had wild pitch written all over it. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 4 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