knuckleball

noun

knuck·​le·​ball ˈnə-kəl-ˌbȯl 

: a slow baseball pitch that moves erratically and unpredictably and that is thrown with little spin by gripping the ball with the knuckles or the tips of the fingers pressed against the top

knuckleballer

ˈnə-kəl-ˌbȯ-lər 

noun

Examples of knuckleball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Further still, Karty complicated their offensive shortcomings by striking knuckleball kickoffs that return specialists Tank Bigsby and John Metchie III could not handle. —Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025

September can deceive like a knuckleball. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2025

Two others, Tim Wakefield (186) and Charlie Hough (174), were knuckleball pitchers whose success depended on a pitch that behaved irrationally and independently. —Gqlshare, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025

Wakefield, best known as a knuckleball pitcher and philanthropist, played 19 major league seasons with the Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, winning 200 games. —Erik Matuszewski, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for knuckleball

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

Kids Definition

knuckleball

noun

knuck·​le·​ball ˈnək-əl-ˌbȯl 

: a baseball pitch gripped with the knuckles or fingertips and thrown with very little spin