inswinger

American

[in-swing-er] / ˈɪnˌswɪŋ ər /

noun

Cricket.

a bowled ball that veers from off side to leg side.

inswinger British

/ ˈɪnˌswɪŋə /

noun

cricket a ball bowled so as to move from off to leg through the air
soccer a ball kicked, esp from a corner, so as to move through the air in a curve towards the goal or the centre

"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 inswinger

First recorded in 1915–20; in + swinger

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.

Bukayo Saka's left-footed delivery for Arsenal's opener was an inswinger, a deliberate choice that Arsenal have used this season.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

"He has been working hard at developing that because he feels that wobble seam going across brings the keeper and slips into play and makes his inswinger to the right hander more of a surprise."

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026

I was dragging Root across the crease, moving his head outside off stump and then tried my first inswinger.

From BBC • Oct. 9, 2024

The left-footed inswinger he took last was nearly whipped over Hearts keeper Zander Clark and in.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2024

Bairstow would have been out to the first ball of the match had Sri Lanka reviewed an lbw shout following an inswinger from left-armer Dilshan Madushanka.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2023

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