curveball

noun

curve·​ball ˈkərv-ˌbȯl 

: a slow or moderately fast baseball pitch thrown with spin to make it swerve downward and usually to the left when thrown from the right hand or to the right when thrown from the left hand

curveball verb

Examples of curveball in a Sentence

The batter struck out on a curveball.

Recent Examples on the Web

Buckle up, and prepare for some curveballs! —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025

Ted is optimistic that this budding romance is the beginning of his Christmas comeback, but his looming holiday bad luck still has a few curveballs in store for him. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Dec. 2025

The strikes threw a big curveball in the development of Welcome to Derry‘s scripts, along with its production as the series’ young cast sprouted rapidly in height during the months-long break. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2025

From unlikely pairings and DNA-test curveballs to rescue surprises, these five viral articles show that oversized dogs with unexpected origins keep stealing the spotlight. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing curveball

• throw (someone) a curve/curveball

Rhymes for curveball

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol