Dictionary.com

cannonball

[ kan-uhn-bawl ]
/ ˈkæn ənˌbɔl /
See synonyms for cannonball on Thesaurus.com

noun Also cannon ball .

a missile, usually round and made of iron or steel, designed to be fired from a cannon.
Tennis. a served ball that travels with great speed and describes little or no arc in flight.
anything that moves with great speed, as an express train.

adjective

made from a curled-up position with the arms pressing the knees against one's chest: a cannonball dive.
moving at great speed: a train known as a cannonball express.

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Origin of cannonball

First recorded in 1655–65; cannon + ball1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to cannonball

information, notice, word, directive, memo, memorandum, note, letter, report, news, armament, bomb, bullet, cartridge, rocket, materiel, missile, chemical, explosive, munition

Example sentences from the Web for cannonball

British Dictionary definitions for cannonball

cannonball
/ (ˈkænənˌbɔːl) /

noun

a projectile fired from a cannon: usually a solid round metal shot
tennis
  1. a very fast low serve
  2. (as modifier)a cannonball serve
a jump into water by a person who has his arms tucked into the body to form a ball

verb (intr)

(often foll by along, etc) to rush along, like a cannonball
to execute a cannonball jump

adjective

very fast or powerful
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012