Definition of throw (someone) a curve/curveball
: to present (someone) with a difficult and unexpected problem, situation, question, etc.
The reporter threw the candidate a curve by asking about his past drug use. Recently, Mother Nature threw us a curveball in the form of a 50-degree day in the middle of January.— Molly Cavanaugh The sea will throw you a lot of curves, so versatile navigation gear is a must.— Advertisement
Test Your Vocabulary
Which Word Does Not Belong?
-
- Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share throw (someone) a curve/curveball