curveball

noun

curve·​ball ˈkərv-ˌbȯl How to pronounce curveball (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bryan Reynolds jumped on a hanging first-pitch curveball and lined it 422 feet into the left-field stands. Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 10 June 2026 Then a looping curveball got Jake Mangum to bounce a swinging bunt up the third-base line. Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026 Eovaldi left a curveball over the plate and Caglianone hammered his seventh homer into the right-field seats. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026 His curveball jumped nine points of Stuff+ by adding a tick of velocity and a little horizontal break. Eno Sarris, New York Times, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for curveball

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of curveball was in 1936

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Curveball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curveball. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.

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