breaking ball

American

[brey-king bawl] / ˈbreɪ kɪŋ ˈbɔl /

noun

Baseball.

any pitch in which the ball deviates from a straight path as it approaches the batter.

If you’re not sure if it was a slider or a curve, just say it was a breaking ball.

Etymology

Origin of breaking ball

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

Needing another weapon to complement his fastball and breaking ball, his college pitching coach suggested he attempt to add a splitter to his repertoire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

“I’ve been able to land it for strikes the last couple of starts,” Glasnow said of his big breaking ball.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2024

He has good life on his low 90’s fastball, and advanced feel for locating his breaking ball and changeup.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2024

Marte said he was looking for a good pitch to hit and found it on a breaking ball down the middle.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2023

“I got a breaking ball that he left up a little.”

From Washington Times • Sep. 2, 2023

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