fastball

noun

fast·​ball ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl 

: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed and often appearing to rise slightly as it nears the plate

fastballer

ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯ-lər 

noun

Examples of fastball in a Sentence

He struck him out with a fastball.

Recent Examples on the Web

Backside homer off a guy pumping a 100 with one fastball that goes up and one that goes down. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 29 Sep. 2026

The result of Blake Snell’s final pitch Saturday, a fastball that San Francisco Giants third baseman Shay Whitcomb lined into left field, mattered far less than the fact that the left-hander had passed the 75-pitch mark without incident. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

With a devastating combination of cutters, sinkers and fastballs, the young right-hander has racked up 234 strikeouts, third in the AL behind Cleveland Guardians ace Gavin Williams (244) and likely Cy Young runner-up Dylan Cease (239). — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

With a four-seamer, a cutter and a sinker, Schlittler throws some variation of a fastball roughly 90% of the time, making his rise all the more impressive and unique. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fastball

• cut fastball
• split-fingered fastball

Rhymes for fastball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

fastball

noun

fast·​ball ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl 

: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed