cannonball

[ kan-uhn-bawl ]

/ ˈkæn ənˌbɔl /

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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. 2022

How to use cannonball in a sentence

One of the kids had a ball in his hand, and Cuomo took it and tossed it back and forth to an eight year old.
Mario Cuomo, Always Moving Us Toward the Light|Mike Barnicle|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Instead of going for the hole, I hit the ball directly into the water.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There is only sand, a white ball, and a flag indicating the hole.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If the ball gets in the hole, the screen shifts to reveal the next hole.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

When the game starts, there is only sand, a white ball, a flag indicating hole 1, and a “0” at the top of the screen.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Many of their cannon balls that fell far short of us, were collected and returned to them with powerful effect.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
It was little better than coal dust, and would not carry a ball fifty paces to kill or wound.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
She had never had this curiosity in relation to George Cannon--she had only wondered about his affairs with other women.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
They were provided with sails and twelve oars each, and a falconet, or small brass cannon.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The white men served their smoking cannon with a wild energy that, for a time, made the gallant nine equal to a thousand.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for cannonball

cannonball

/ (ˈkænənˌbɔːl) /

noun

a projectile fired from a cannon: usually a solid round metal shot

tennis

a very fast low serve
(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

cannonball

Origin of cannonball

Words related to cannonball

How to use cannonball in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cannonball