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
Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Rasmus Dahlin scored 32 seconds into the game on a nifty backhand after weaving through Montreal’s zone.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 17 May 2026
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
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2026
Caratini's sacrifice fly and Orlando Arcia's run-scoring single off the glove of pitcher Brayan Bello, who tried to backhand a grounder, boosted the lead to 4-1 in the fifth.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhand
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Noun
Sinner then broke to start the second set with a backhand winner up the line for a 1-0 lead.
—Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Rasmus Dahlin scored 32 seconds into the game on a nifty backhand after weaving through Montreal’s zone.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 17 May 2026
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
Williams backhanded a laser ground ball to start a first-inning double play.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2026
Caratini's sacrifice fly and Orlando Arcia's run-scoring single off the glove of pitcher Brayan Bello, who tried to backhand a grounder, boosted the lead to 4-1 in the fifth.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhand
Cite this Entry
“Backhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backhand. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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
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