Illustration of backhand
- backhand 1a
back·hand
ˈbak-ˌhand 
1
a
: a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement
also
: the side on which such strokes are made
b
: a catch (as in baseball) made to the side of the body opposite the hand being used
2
: handwriting whose strokes slant downward from left to right
: made with a backhand
a backhand tennis stroke
backhanded; backhanding; backhands
: to do, hit, or catch backhand
Examples of backhand in a Sentence
Noun
She has a good backhand but a weak forehand.
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
The former French Open Boys' Doubles champion wants to develop the two-handed backhand of John Isner among other tweaks.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 26 Nov. 2022
Dalton, who has four game-winning goals this season, beat Quinnipiac goalie Logan Angers with a backhand shot 11:42, then Emma Seitz scores from point-blank range from in front of the right circle at 16:21.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Jan. 2023
Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2022
When one last backhand by Nadal found the net, Tiafoe put his hands on his head.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022
Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
Neither player seemed all that interested in venturing forward Sunday unless forced to, instead content to ply their forehands and backhands from the back of the court.
—CBS News, 8 Sep. 2024
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Noun
His backhand is like a precision laser carving up the baseline.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
The former French Open Boys' Doubles champion wants to develop the two-handed backhand of John Isner among other tweaks.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
The Winterhawks don’t get back as a give-and-go between Korchinski and Schaefer in the neutral zone creates a 2-on-1, and Korchinski quickly makes a backhand feed to Crnkovic in front.
—Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 26 Nov. 2022
Dalton, who has four game-winning goals this season, beat Quinnipiac goalie Logan Angers with a backhand shot 11:42, then Emma Seitz scores from point-blank range from in front of the right circle at 16:21.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Jan. 2023
Adverb
Radulov showed backhand before pulling it to his forehand and slipping the puck past Linus Ullmark.
—Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2022
When one last backhand by Nadal found the net, Tiafoe put his hands on his head.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022
Verb
Sharks defenseman Cody Ceci skated behind the net to try and check Rust, but the veteran forward went the other way and had enough time and space to backhand a shot over Vanecek for a 1-0 Penguins lead just 61 seconds into the game.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
Neither player seemed all that interested in venturing forward Sunday unless forced to, instead content to ply their forehands and backhands from the back of the court.
—CBS News, 8 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for backhand
Dictionary Entries Near backhand
Cite this Entry
“Backhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backhand. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
backhand
1 of 4 noun
back·hand
-ˌhand
1
a
: a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement
b
: a catch made with the arm across the body and the palm turned away from the body
2
: handwriting in which the letters slant to the left
backhand
2 of 4 adjective
: using or made with a backhand
backhand
3 of 4 verb
: to do, hit, or catch with a backhand
backhand
4 of 4 adverb
variants
or backhanded
ˈbak-ˈhan-dəd
: with a backhand
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