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
Buehler lamented the shape and effectiveness of his curveball, which yielded the two doubles and a single among the four times it was put in play.
—
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
In the third, Hicks got hold of a middle-middle curveball and sent it 389 feet to right-center field.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 23 May 2026
His curveball registered five of his strikeouts.
—Kansas City Star, 23 May 2026
The Beasley-Stephenson bout is the curveball, pitting two former NBA players against each other in the cage and giving the card a second recognizable hook beyond the Manziel headliner.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for curveball
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.
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
In the third, Hicks got hold of a middle-middle curveball and sent it 389 feet to right-center field.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 23 May 2026
His curveball registered five of his strikeouts.
—Kansas City Star, 23 May 2026
The Beasley-Stephenson bout is the curveball, pitting two former NBA players against each other in the cage and giving the card a second recognizable hook beyond the Manziel headliner.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for curveball
Cite this Entry
“Curveball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curveball. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
