knuckleball
or knuck·le ball
[ nuhk-uhl-bawl ]
nounBaseball.
a junk pitch that moves erratically toward home plate, usually delivered by holding the ball between the thumb and the knuckles of the first joints of the first two or three fingers: Trying to hit his knuckleball was like swatting at a fly with a straw.
Origin of knuckleball
1An Americanism dating back to 1905–10
- Also called knuck·ler [nuhk-ler]. /ˈnʌk lər/.
Words Nearby knuckleball
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use knuckleball in a sentence
I was the one who taught him how to control his curveball and throw a knuckleball.
Satchel Paige was one of baseball’s best. It didn’t take an announcement to know that. | Thomas M. Boswell | December 18, 2020 | Washington Post
Browse