Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
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

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.

Striker Pence, a sophomore pitcher at Corona Santiago with a 100-mph fastball, will receive an endorsement deal from a radar gun company.

From Los Angeles Times

Imai, a 27-year-old right-hander with a fastball that reaches 99 miles per hour, is the latest heralded pitcher on his way to the majors.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cases include electrocution, drowning, overdose, scurvy, sickle cell anemia, a nail in the chest, a fastball in the eye and gallstones, with all the personal drama one expects from a hospital show.

From Los Angeles Times

“The next at-bat, he hit me. They knew not to throw me a fastball.”

From Los Angeles Times

Yes, he’s tall and throwing fastballs at 92 mph.

From Los Angeles Times

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.