Definition of speedball
1 slang : a dose of cocaine mixed with heroin or morphine or an amphetamine and usually taken by injection
2 : a game which resembles soccer but in which a ball caught in the air may be passed with the hands and in which a score is made by kicking or heading the ball between the goalposts or by a successful forward pass over the goal line
3 : one that is outstandingly fast
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of speedball from the Web
-
Who knows what might have resulted had Anthony embraced the D’Antoni way in New York, had the Knicks continued to herald the speedball wave the Warriors have ridden to double championship acclaim?
-
There were 24 men living in the three-bedroom, two-bath house at the time, and one brought in speedballs to share.
-
And no one seemed to be given pause by the fact that the brand’s most famous son had mainlined a fatal speedball just across the street.
-
And no one seemed to be given pause by the fact that the brand’s most famous son had mainlined a fatal speedball just across the street.
-
There were 24 men living in the three-bedroom, two-bath house at the time, and one brought in speedballs to share.
-
And no one seemed to be given pause by the fact that the brand’s most famous son had mainlined a fatal speedball just across the street.
-
Morell began by injecting Hitler with hormones and steroids but then moved on to cocaine and the powerful opioid Eukodal, which were often mixed together as a speedball.
-
According to Ohler’s reading of Hitler’s medical records, late in the war the Führer himself was hooked on a proto-speedball that consisted of cocaine and an opiate called Eukodal, administered by his private physician.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'speedball.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of speedball
1905
speedball
Definition of speedball
slang
intransitive verb
: to take a speedball especially by injection
First Known Use of speedball
1970
Learn More about speedball
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up speedball? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!