backhand
Americannoun
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backhands
plural
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a stroke, slap, etc., made with the palm of the hand turned toward the body and the back of the hand turned in the direction of the stroke, slap, etc.
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(in tennis, squash, etc.) a stroke made from the side of the body opposite to that of the hand holding the racket, paddle, etc.
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handwriting that slopes toward the left.
adjective
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(in tennis, squash, etc.) of, relating to, or noting a stroke made from the side of the body opposite to that of the hand holding the racket, paddle, etc.
adverb
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with the back of the hand.
He hit him backhand across the face.
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from across the body; backhanded.
She returned the ball backhand on the first serve.
verb (used with object)
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backhands,
present (3rd person singular)
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backhanded,
past participle, past
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backhanding
present participle
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to strike with the back of the hand.
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to hit, produce, or accomplish with a backhand.
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to catch (a ball or the like) backhanded.
noun
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sport
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a stroke made across the body with the back of the hand facing the direction of the stroke
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( as modifier )
a backhand return
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the side on which backhand strokes are made
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handwriting slanting to the left
adverb
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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backhandsimple
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backhandssimple
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have backhandedperfect
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has backhandedperfect
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am backhandingprogressive
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are backhandingprogressive
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is backhandingprogressive
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have been backhandingperfect progressive
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has been backhandingperfect progressive
Past
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backhandedsimple
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had backhandedperfect
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was backhandingprogressive
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were backhandingprogressive
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had been backhandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of backhand
Explanation
A backhand is when you hit a ball with a racket or paddle with your arm across your body and the back of your hand facing the ball. Some tennis players find it challenging to hit a backhand. You can use the word backhand as a noun or an adjective, to describe a stroke in tennis, squash, or any other sport that involves a racket. When backhand is a verb, it can mean to hit the ball this way, but it more often means to hit or slap someone with the back of your hand. The tennis stroke meaning has been around since the 1650s.
Vocabulary lists containing backhand
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Shelton’s proven himself to be more than his mega lefty serve—there’s a better backhand, a sharper return, and more overall maturity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
His exit has been as graceful as his one-handed backhand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Query why emoluments get the backhand, and this clause is sort of forgotten and maybe implicitly deemed as this backwater.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
After receiving a warning for a time violation, a frustrated Muchova lofted a backhand beyond the baseline and gifted Gauff the first match point.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
But he didn’t feel like fighting today, so he made an attack upon her position backhand.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
The man’s service might be questionable, but his backhands are unparalleled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026
One professional, Isaac Rose-Berman, gives an example of his methods: He saw that left-handed servers in tennis, more often than not, win a point against right-handed opponents with weak backhands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
His signature paddle has a 6-inch handle to assist backhands and a length of 16.5 inches.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
With the second set in the balance, Jabeur hit a fine backhand return winner to start the game and then forced Rybakina to twice push backhands into the tramlines.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2023
He backhands my throw and fires it right back.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
“It may be a backhanded way of acknowledging that she’d be quite formidable if she decided to get in.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
That No 10 feels the need to criticise the Greens is a backhanded compliment that shows they matter.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
Last Thanksgiving was full of backhanded compliments and pointed remarks.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 27, 2025
In a 1919 review of a pair of books by Theodore Dreiser, Virginia Woolf issued some exquisitely backhanded praise for the Indiana-born author, whose writing, she thought, stood out for its roughness and vitality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
Tears slid down her cheeks and she backhanded them away.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
Carlsson then evened things at 3-3 less than two minutes later, backhanding the puck over Canuck goalie Nikita Tolopilo while skating away from the crease for his 29th goal of the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
Fiala evened the scored with 1:06 remaining in the middle frame, backhanding in a rebound after Markstrom could not control Anze Kopitar’s initial shot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
Just over two minutes later, Alexis Lafrenière made the play of the night — faking a shot between his legs before backhanding the puck past Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper to make it 2-0.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 2, 2023
Palat tied it at 8:32, backhanding the rebound of a shot by Stamkos past Shesterkin for his fifth of the playoffs.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 1, 2022
Verhaeghe scored the game-winner just 2:46 into overtime, backhanding a shot into the back of the net to leave Samsonov lying on the ice in disbelief and Capitals fans stunned.
From Washington Times ● May 13, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
