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

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

“The U.S.-Israel war with Iran threw a major curveball at the economy,” wrote lead U.S. economist Bernard Yaros of Oxford Economics.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

Ueda’s Absence: Another curveball for already-jittery markets came when the BOJ said Ueda had been hospitalized and would miss next week’s meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 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

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

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

And relationships face so much stress — everyone is being hit by all these curveballs and trying to keep your head above water — how can you enjoy each other?

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

Batters across MLB put up a dismal .210 batting average against splitters last season, compared with .224 against sliders and sweepers and .225 against curveballs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 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