curveball
noun
curve·ball
ˈkərv-ˌbȯl 
: a slow or moderately fast baseball pitch thrown with spin to make it swerve downward and usually to the left when thrown from the right hand or to the right when thrown from the left hand
curveball
verb
Examples of curveball in a Sentence
The batter struck out on a curveball.
Recent Examples on the Web
On Friday, the lefty had a nice curveball working and looked solid in the first two innings, finishing the second with a 79-mph hook that dropped through the lower-inside corner to strike out Gabriel Moreno.
—
Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
The White Sox turned to reliever Tanner Banks, who struck out MJ Melendez with an 81.4 mph curveball.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Maddux praised Bradford’s preparedness before the team’s series finale against the Houston Astros as well as the introduction of a curveball into his arsenal.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
Force of nature As the eclipse approaches, many people are scrambling to make or change their plans — and weather is playing a large role by tossing out some unexpected curveballs.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Luzardo is experimenting with adding a curveball to his arsenal that already includes a 97 mph four-seam fastball, a slider that had a 51.8-percent whiff rate and a changeup.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2024
Thompson’s first pitch to Hernandez was a hanging curveball and Hernandez sent it on a 370-foot journey into the left field pavilion for a three-run homer.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 30 Mar. 2024
While some installments tackled the basics like cooking supplies, automobiles, and food, others threw curveballs such as dissecting the inner workings of 3-D commercial signs, false teeth, cuckoo clocks, and more.
—Briana Richert, James Mercadante, EW.com, 19 Feb. 2024
The curveball caused Crenshaw’s body dysmorphia to reappear.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
The White Sox turned to reliever Tanner Banks, who struck out MJ Melendez with an 81.4 mph curveball.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Maddux praised Bradford’s preparedness before the team’s series finale against the Houston Astros as well as the introduction of a curveball into his arsenal.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
Force of nature As the eclipse approaches, many people are scrambling to make or change their plans — and weather is playing a large role by tossing out some unexpected curveballs.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Luzardo is experimenting with adding a curveball to his arsenal that already includes a 97 mph four-seam fastball, a slider that had a 51.8-percent whiff rate and a changeup.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2024
Thompson’s first pitch to Hernandez was a hanging curveball and Hernandez sent it on a 370-foot journey into the left field pavilion for a three-run homer.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 30 Mar. 2024
While some installments tackled the basics like cooking supplies, automobiles, and food, others threw curveballs such as dissecting the inner workings of 3-D commercial signs, false teeth, cuckoo clocks, and more.
—Briana Richert, James Mercadante, EW.com, 19 Feb. 2024
The curveball caused Crenshaw’s body dysmorphia to reappear.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'curveball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Curveball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curveball. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
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