cannonball
Americannoun
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cannonballs
plural
adjective
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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.
noun
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a projectile fired from a cannon: usually a solid round metal shot
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tennis
-
a very fast low serve
-
( as modifier )
a cannonball serve
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-
a jump into water by a person who has his arms tucked into the body to form a ball
verb
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to rush along, like a cannonball
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to execute a cannonball jump
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cannonball
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:
After a few minutes, there was a dive off the arch, followed by a cannonball from the next person, a backflip from a third and then other more spectacular and daring stunts from the flock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
My line stuttered forward and flopped onto the water with all the stealth of a cannonball.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Instead of casually wading into the shallow end, skimming the surface with tepid bits of history about Mansfield’s life and career, Hargitay opts for a cannonball.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2025
The British wanted to seize the ship and its treasure, but fired a cannonball into the San José’s powder magazines by mistake.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2024
Rowan heard none of what transpired between Xenocrates and Goddard, but he did see the High Blade hurl himself into the deep end, creating a cannonball splash that drew everyone’s attention.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
There were no cannonballs Saturday, only a franchise that once again was deep-sixed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2025
Nearby buildings and a shopping center were evacuated as a precaution, Waltham fire officials said in a post on X, and the unearthed cannonballs were disposed of safely by the bomb squad.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
Historical finds include cannonballs, a sword blade and a wheel experts believe belonged to a wagon that blew up during the two days of supply dumps.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 2023
The southern states decided they were no longer going to play by the rules of the Constitution they had ratified, so they started firing cannonballs at Fort Sumter, a military installation of the United States.
From Salon ● May 22, 2023
Imagine a million really weighty cannonballs squeezed down to the size of a marble and–well, you’re still not even close.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
