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Synonyms

fastball

American  
[fast-bawl, fahst-] / ˈfæstˌbɔl, ˈfɑst- /

noun

Baseball.

  1. a pitch thrown at or near a pitcher's maximum velocity.

fastball British  
/ ˈfɑːstˌbɔːl /

noun

  1. baseball a ball pitched at the pitcher's top speed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fastball

First recorded in 1910–15; fast 1 + ball 1

Vocabulary lists containing fastball

Unit 1, Week 4

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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.

Dustin Dunwoody, Royal: Armed with an overpowering fastball, Dunwoody is 7-0, has an 0.18 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

Because it doesn’t spin like a slider, batters often read it as a fastball out of the pitcher’s hand—only for the ball to plummet into the dirt at the last possible moment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

McLean delivered a four-seam fastball into the center of the strike zone and Boston Red Sox left-fielder Wilyer Abreu duly pounced, crushing a 414-foot solo home run to center field for a 2-0 lead.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Contreras has a fastball that reaches the upper 90s and a forkball inherited from his father.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

He wipes his hands on his shirt and sends a fastball.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

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.