southpaw
noun
Did you know?
Southpaw is of obscure origin. A popular theory holds that it comes from the onetime position of ballparks in relation to the sun. Supposedly, late 19th-century ballparks were laid out so that the pitcher looked in a westerly direction when facing the batter. The throwing arm of a left-handed pitcher would then be to the south-hence the name southpaw. This theory of its origin is undermined, however, by the fact that the original use of southpaw does not involve baseball at all. Rather, the term was used as early as 1848 to describe, simply, the left hand or a punch or blow given with the left hand. Today, we often use southpaw as a good-natured term for a left-handed person, but the word is sometimes viewed as stigmatizing by left-handed people.
Examples of southpaw in a Sentence
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
The biggest improvement came by way of the extreme long toss program that helped increase the southpaw’s velocity.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
Chafin, 35, is a 12-year major league veteran who has bounced around in recent years, but the Twins have fellow southpaws Taylor Rogers and Anthony Banda in the bullpen, and Kody Funderburk seems poised to make the team, as well, making the roster math hard for Chafin.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2026
The southpaws are Daniel Lynch IV and Matt Strahm.
—Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for southpaw
Cite this Entry
“Southpaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southpaw. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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southpaw
noun
