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, 7 June 2025
Point made a forehand move on Sergei Bobrovsky that opened up the left side of the net, but the Lightning’s top goal-scorer in the regular season missed wide with a backhand shot.
—Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2025
Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 26 Nov. 2022
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
Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2022
When one last backhand by Nadal found the net, Tiafoe put his hands on his head.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 15 May 2025
Center Anton Lundell dropped off a puck for him in front of the net, and Marchand backhanded it past Woll.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for backhand
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Noun
On the second match point, Sabalenka hit a backhand wide and Gauff felt to her back on the court.
—Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
Point made a forehand move on Sergei Bobrovsky that opened up the left side of the net, but the Lightning’s top goal-scorer in the regular season missed wide with a backhand shot.
—Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2025
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
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
Adverb
Radulov showed backhand before pulling it to his forehand and slipping the puck past Linus Ullmark.
—Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2022
When one last backhand by Nadal found the net, Tiafoe put his hands on his head.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022
Verb
The Toronto goalie made the save, but Coyne Schofield backhanded the rebound home for a 3-3 tie midway through the third.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 15 May 2025
Center Anton Lundell dropped off a puck for him in front of the net, and Marchand backhanded it past Woll.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 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 10 Jun. 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
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