curveball

noun

curve·​ball ˈkərv-ˌbȯl How to pronounce curveball (audio)
: 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
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.
Popular on Variety While that would be drama enough to sustain many a Sundance movie, Hannah — who is pitching a project that sounds suspiciously like the one Hyde has made — insists that the very thing that makes her family unique is how amicably everyone deals with life’s curveballs. Peter Debruge, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025 Morton struggled at times in 2024, going 8-10 with a 4.19 ERA in 30 starts, but the curveball artist still had 167 strikeouts in 165 1/3 innings. David O'Brien, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025 But then the airline throws a curveball, announcing an overbooked flight. Christine Chung, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025 The legislation does not, however, include language to increase the debt limit, an eleventh-hour demand from President-elect Trump that hurled a curveball into the sensitive government funding negotiations. Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for curveball 

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of curveball was in 1936

Dictionary Entries Near curveball

Cite this Entry

“Curveball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curveball. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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