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

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

But unlike their battle the previous night, this breaking ball was not off the plate, but rather knee high and over the inner half.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024

Servais wants Hancock to continue to develop his breaking ball, which they are trying to make more like a slider with more break.

From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2024

Marte said he was looking for a good pitch to hit and found it on a breaking ball down the middle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2023

A’s manager Mark Kotsay complimented Boyle for attacking the zone and said his breaking ball could be a key finishing pitch.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 18, 2023

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