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 Panthers extended the lead to 2-0 midway through the second period when Marchand came down the left wing, stick-handled around defenseman Kaedan Korczak and then beat Lindbom with a backhand shot past his glove side for his team-leading 11th goal. —Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2025

Columbus defenceman Denton Mateychuk fell to the ice as McDavid spun around him, leading to a backhand goal from the Oilers captain just 58 seconds into the third. —Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025

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

Down the slot a stride behind Ryan Strome, Johansson got a pass from Boldy, went from forehand to backhand to deke Mrazek and lifted the puck past the down goalie. —CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025

Just over two minutes into the second period, Ovechkin backhanded a rebound off Blues goalie Jordan Binnington for his milestone goal. —Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025

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