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

Unlike many of his bullpen counterparts, who rely on no more than two pitches, Ashby has four, highlighted by his 97 mph sinker and devastating curveball.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

“But if you dooooon’t …” Folger repeats the words like a pitcher caressing a verbal curveball she’s about to throw.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

I never expected life to throw me this curveball.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

In the bottom of the third, Yamamoto gave up a leadoff single and issued two walks before Yelich came up with two outs and drove a curveball into center field for two runs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

When Matt Cain pitched a curveball, twenty balls flew across twenty screens.

From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate

Against curveballs and sliders, that number plummets to .220.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

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

Yamamoto reached into his five-pitch repertoire Saturday, mixing in six fastballs, eight splitters, five sinkers, four cutters, four curveballs and three sliders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026

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

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli

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