southpaw
Americannoun
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a person who is left-handed.
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Sports.
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a player who throws with the left hand, especially a pitcher.
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Boxing. a boxer who leads with the right hand and stands with the right foot forward, using the left hand for the most powerful blows.
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adjective
noun
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a boxer who leads with his right hand and off his right foot as opposed to the orthodox style of leading with the left
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any left-handed person
adjective
Usage
What does southpaw mean? A southpaw is a left-handed person, especially a boxer or baseball pitcher. It is also an adjective meaning “left-handed.”What are other words are related to southpaw:
- pitcher
- boxing
- baseball
Etymology
Origin of southpaw
Explanation
If you're left-handed, you can call yourself a southpaw. If you're also a baseball fan, you may admire southpaws like the famous left-handed pitcher Sandy Koufax. The slightly old-fashioned term southpaw may have started in the 1880s as baseball slang for left-handed pitchers. Legend has it that a Chicago sports writer coined the term, based on the now-obsolete tradition of laying out baseball diamonds with home plate toward the west. Others attribute southpaw to boxing slang, for "left-handed punch." Whatever the origin, it's a colorful way to describe any lefty.
Vocabulary lists containing southpaw
Idioms and Expressions, List 1
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Idioms and Expressions, List 1
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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.
The diminutive southpaw came out of retirement last year.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
The home crowd sang "Leigh Wood is one of our own", as their man settled into a southpaw rhythm, slowing the pace and picking shots from range.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026
The southpaw appeared in a career-high 75 games in 2025, recording a 3.18 earned-run average, 61 strikeouts and 34 walks.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
But Benavidez began landing combinations to the head and body with the speed of a lightweight, switching between southpaw and orthodox at will.
From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025
Anyone with two eyes could tell I was sweet on a southpaw pitcher with big dreams.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
