Synonyms

curveball

American

[kurv-bawl] / ˈkɜrvˌbɔl /

Or curve ball

noun

Baseball.

a pitch with a downward spin that causes the ball to drop and veer as it approaches home plate, away from the side from which it was thrown.

He started perfecting his curveball during his junior year in high school.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

curveballs

plural

Etymology

Origin of curveball

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

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:

curveball curveballs

Sure enough, when De Paula stepped into the batter’s box at Loan Depot Park, he wasn’t tempted to swing at the first-pitch curveball that dipped below the zone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

Matthew Liberatore, a young lefty for the St. Louis Cardinals, was thrilled when his curveball was featured on PitchingNinja.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Then, in his second, he worked a 2-2 count, before roping a curveball up the right-field line for a go-ahead two-run double.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Given his past behavior, he sounds like the type of guy to leave a curveball in his will, as a parting shot.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

So if I was wanting a fastball, I would watch and see how often he threw a fastball or if it always followed a curveball, things like that.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson

Families who have lived in Big Sur for generations have come to expect their share of curveballs, particularly as climate change has accelerated rapid swings between intensely wet and dangerously dry weather.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

No curveballs, but then there was never going to be.

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

To be fair, they have been thrown some major curveballs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

You are, understandably, reeling from past marital financial curveballs.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026

All he did was set the Say Hey Kid down swinging — on three straight curveballs.

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli

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