fastball

noun

fast·​ball ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl How to pronounce fastball (audio)
: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed and often appearing to rise slightly as it nears the plate
fastballer noun

Examples of fastball in a Sentence

He struck him out with a fastball.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Buehler’s fastball was clearly working from the start of this game, as Yankee hitters couldn’t catch up to it, which ultimately led to him using his effective breaking pitches to his advantage. Scott Thompson, Fox News, 29 Oct. 2024 Cortes threw another fastball, but, alas, lower this time. Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024 The 21-year-old is now fully healthy again and his fastball is back up into the high 90s. Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 Even now, nobody can make a fastball move quite like Mo’s. Zach Schonbrun, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fastball 

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fastball was in 1883

Dictionary Entries Near fastball

Cite this Entry

“Fastball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastball. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

fastball

noun
fast·​ball ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl How to pronounce fastball (audio)
: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed

More from Merriam-Webster on fastball

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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