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
Josh Gross, Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Some saw the joke as a backhand swipe at the women’s team, others saw it as a shot at his political adversaries.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 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
Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
On the third, Boldy found a bouncing rebound off his first shot and backhanded it in.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhand
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Noun
Sixty-five seconds after that, the Golden Knights made it 4-2 when a Smith backhand evaded Forsberg for his 10th of the season.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Some saw the joke as a backhand swipe at the women’s team, others saw it as a shot at his political adversaries.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 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
With pressure levels reaching a breaking point, the 29-year-old stepped up and, with one incredible deke and one backhanded flick of her stick, wrote a chapter in this rivalry’s history that will be remembered for quite some time.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
On the third, Boldy found a bouncing rebound off his first shot and backhanded it in.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 5 Feb. 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 3 Mar. 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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