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definitions

sidearm

[sahyd-ahrm]
See more synonyms for sidearm on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. with a swinging motion of the arm moving to the side of the body at shoulder level or below and nearly parallel to the ground: to pitch sidearm.
adjective
  1. thrown or performed sidearm: a sidearm curve ball; sidearm stroke.

Origin of sidearm

First recorded in 1925–30; side1 + arm1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sidearm

blade, bayonet, sword, cutlass, poniard, stylet, switchblade, stiletto, bodkin, dirk, anlace, sidearm, skean

Examples from the Web for sidearm

Historical Examples of sidearm

  • He strode out of the office, hooking his sidearm belt from a hanger as he went by.

    The Best Made Plans

    Everett B. Cole

  • Gonzales was zipping up his tunic and putting on his belt and sidearm.

    Oomphel in the Sky

    Henry Beam Piper

  • After all, a kirpan was a sidearm, and his religion required him to carry that.

    Four-Day Planet

    Henry Beam Piper

  • Even worse, the pressure at his hip told him that he hadn't even bothered to take his sidearm off.

    Anything You Can Do ...

    Gordon Randall Garrett

  • As Barrent came through the doorway, two of the men moved back; the third, his sidearm negligently lowered, stepped forward.

Word Origin and History for sidearm
adj.

also side-arm, 1908, from side (adj.) + arm (n.1).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper