backswing

noun

back·​swing ˈbak-ˌswiŋ How to pronounce backswing (audio)
: the movement of a club, racket, bat, or arm backward to a position from which the forward or downward swing is made

Example Sentences

a golfer with a short backswing
Recent Examples on the Web Daly’s recent scorecards may not be major worthy, but his nonchalant character and fascinatingly long backswing are still big draws for fans in attendance and at home, so he will certainly be missed. Scott Thompson, Fox News, 15 May 2023 But as the amplitude increases, the optimal timing shifts to favor leaning back earlier, when the swinger is at the highest point in her backswing. Bykatie Mccormick, science.org, 7 Apr. 2023 Left elbow stays straight during your backswing. Michael Mcknight, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2022 Metallica in the backswing? Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 5 July 2021 For this week at the PGA championship, the same goes for every lunkhead who snapped a photo in the middle of a backswing, every 50-year-old who crowded out a kid in an autograph line, every scampering porta-potty seeker who incurred the wrath of an over-officious caddie. Eddie Pells, Star Tribune, 6 Aug. 2020 The backswing involves rotation in the lower back, pelvis and hip joints. Jen Murphy, WSJ, 16 June 2022 Wynns took a backswing to the head in the fourth and was examined by a trainer but stayed in. Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 June 2022 On television, anchors used slow-motion video to analyze and fawn over Charlie’s backswing, his follow-through, his hip turn. Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backswing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of backswing was in 1892

Dictionary Entries Near backswing

Cite this Entry

“Backswing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backswing. Accessed 30 May. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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