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.

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

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

“The breaking ball was pretty good tonight, and he threw some pretty good change-ups, some swing-and-miss change-ups,” Kotsay said.

From Washington Times • Aug. 17, 2023

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