backspin

American  

[bak-spin] / ˈbækˌspɪn /

noun

1. reverse rotation of a ball causing it to bounce or roll backward or stop short.

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backspin British  

/ ˈbækˌspɪn /

noun

1. sport a backward spinning motion imparted to a ball to reduce its speed at impact, as by hitting it with a downward or undercutting motion Compare topspin

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Etymology

Origin of backspin

First recorded in 1905–10; back ² + spin

Example Sentences

You’re going from a 100-mph groundball hit to you on the dirt to center field, where balls are slicing, they have backspin or top spin.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2024

Day leaped into a share of the lead with an eagle on the 14th, holing out from 118 yards by dropping it past the pin with a sublime backspin that took it straight in.

From Washington Post • Jan. 29, 2022

Sánchez overran a foul pop behind the plate by Oscar Mercado in the fifth inning on the sunny afternoon, misreading the backspin, and was charged with his sixth error.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2021

He imparts so much backspin on the ball it nearly makes its way back up the slope and onto the green, but that would have been an outrage too far.

From The Guardian • Nov. 13, 2020

The flat-soled club is essentially one for taking the ball cleanly, and somehow that hollow face does impart extra backspin to the ball.

From The Happy Golfer Being Some Experiences, Reflections, and a Few Deductions of a Wandering Golfer by Leach, Henry