curveball
Americannoun
-
curveballs
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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:
For the next four pitches, he alternated between his four-seam fastball and off-speed pitches — first his changeup and then curveball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
He held up on a curveball from Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola that clipped the bottom of the strike zone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
He adds crucial nous after Villa's plans were thrown a curveball following Amadou Onana's serious knee injury.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
He has added a cutter to the mix, to pair with his curveball and slider.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
His eyes squint; he’s probably nervous about the curveball I’m throwing his way.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
No curveballs, but then there was never going to be.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
“There’s going to be all sorts of curveballs thrown at you, sometimes faster than you hope,” Joly said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
