Synonyms

breaking ball

American

[brey-king bawl] / ˈbreɪ kɪŋ ˈbɔl /

noun

Baseball.

any pitch in which the ball deviates from a straight path as it approaches the batter.

If you’re not sure if it was a slider or a curve, just say it was a breaking ball.

Etymology

Origin of breaking ball

First recorded in 1905–10

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:

breaking ball

Stankiewicz credited Trojans pitching coach Sean Allen for helping Edwards, known for his rising heater, improve his curveball and develop his breaking ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

Needing another weapon to complement his fastball and breaking ball, his college pitching coach suggested he attempt to add a splitter to his repertoire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

Dustin May struggles to find consistent command with his breaking ball, and Atlanta’s Austin Riley makes him pay as the Dodgers’ seven-game winning streak ends.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2025

A former starter and a lefty with a good breaking ball, which is something worse than kryptonite to Mariners hitters, Heaney pitched 4 1/3 innings allowing five hits not a walk and two strikeouts.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2023

“A three-pitch mix, and the changeup is a swing-and-miss changeup. Our hitters were in between all night. Late on the heater, ahead of the breaking ball and changeup.”

From Washington Times ● Sep. 22, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023