drop shot

American  

noun

1. (in tennis, badminton, etc.) a ball or shuttlecock so softly hit that it falls to the playing surface just after clearing the net.

2. (in squash, handball, etc.) a ball so softly hit that it falls suddenly to the ground just after striking the front wall.

3. shot made in a shot tower.

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drop shot British  

noun

1. 1. tennis a softly-played return that drops abruptly after clearing the net, intended to give an opponent no chance of reaching the ball and usually achieved by imparting backspin

   2. squash a similar shot that stops abruptly after hitting the front wall of the court

2. a type of shot made by permitting molten metal to percolate through a sieve and then dropping it into a tank of water

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Etymology

Origin of drop shot

First recorded in 1630–40

Example Sentences

Elsewhere, Sakkari ended Alcaraz's bid after the top-ranked men's player netted an attempted drop shot.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

A mammoth fourth game saw seven deuces and Maria saving two break points for 3-1, before a brilliant scamper to a drop shot in the next allowed her to go a double break up.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2025

A sliced drop shot from Hewett floated just wide on match point on Oda's serve at 5-3 in the final set, while the Briton was then unable to serve out victory.

From BBC • Sep. 7, 2024

Twice in the first set, Nadal missed drop shot attempts to hand Hurkacz breaks of his serve.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2024

On the next point, Reggie was slow to respond to a drop shot that barely crossed the net, giving Glenn another score.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson