Illustration of backhand
- backhand 1a
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
: made with a backhand
a backhand tennis stroke
backhanded; backhanding; backhands
: 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
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 Dec. 2025
Hagel skated to the left dot and found a lane to deliver a pass to Cirelli who redirected the puck in off his backhand with four minutes left in the second period.
—CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
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
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
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 27 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for backhand
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
There, Michael Carcone’s backhand feed allowed Crouse to traverse the crease and score off his backhand.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 Dec. 2025
Hagel skated to the left dot and found a lane to deliver a pass to Cirelli who redirected the puck in off his backhand with four minutes left in the second period.
—CBS News, 25 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
Garland then undressed Helleson with a show-and-go move before deking from forehand to backhand to lift a shot over Mrázek’s pad.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 27 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for backhand
Cite this Entry
“Backhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backhand. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share