Illustration of backhand
- backhand 1a
back·hand
ˈbak-ˌhand 
1
a
: a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement
also
: the side on which such strokes are made
b
: a catch (as in baseball) made to the side of the body opposite the hand being used
2
: handwriting whose strokes slant downward from left to right
: made with a backhand
a backhand tennis stroke
backhanded; backhanding; backhands
: to do, hit, or catch backhand
Examples of backhand in a Sentence
Noun
She has a good backhand but a weak forehand.
Recent Examples on the Web
ABC News,
3 July 2026
In the second set, Joint immediately broke Williams for a 1-0 lead with a backhand winner up the line.
—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Dylan Bumbarger,
oregonlive,
26 Nov. 2022
Larkin had a backhand attempt early in the power play, but otherwise a unit of him, Bertuzzi, Raymond, Seider and David Perron were unable to create much.
—
Helene St. James,
Detroit Free Press,
8 Oct. 2022
Sarah Matusek,
The Christian Science Monitor,
28 Oct. 2022
When one last backhand by Nadal found the net, Tiafoe put his hands on his head.
—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2022
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Mets left-fielder MJ Melendez’s A+, backhanded snag of a hooking liner by Miguel Andujar.
—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhand
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Noun
The Frenchman did — and 39-year-old Djokovic dove to hit a backhand volley winner on match point for a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) record-equaling victory in the third round at Wimbledon on Friday.
—
ABC News,
3 July 2026
In the second set, Joint immediately broke Williams for a 1-0 lead with a backhand winner up the line.
—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Adjective
The Winterhawks don’t get back as a give-and-go between Korchinski and Schaefer in the neutral zone creates a 2-on-1, and Korchinski quickly makes a backhand feed to Crnkovic in front.
—
Dylan Bumbarger,
oregonlive,
26 Nov. 2022
Larkin had a backhand attempt early in the power play, but otherwise a unit of him, Bertuzzi, Raymond, Seider and David Perron were unable to create much.
—
Helene St. James,
Detroit Free Press,
8 Oct. 2022
Adverb
But daughter Christy Childers says her mom still rules at table tennis with a killer backhand.
—
Sarah Matusek,
The Christian Science Monitor,
28 Oct. 2022
When one last backhand by Nadal found the net, Tiafoe put his hands on his head.
—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2022
Verb
Logan Stankoven opened the scoring 66 seconds into the game, gathering a puck that had bounced off the end boards and backhanding it past Hart.
—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Mets left-fielder MJ Melendez’s A+, backhanded snag of a hooking liner by Miguel Andujar.
—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhand
Cite this Entry
“Backhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backhand. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
backhand
1 of 4 noun
back·hand
-ˌhand
1
a
: a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement
b
: a catch made with the arm across the body and the palm turned away from the body
2
: handwriting in which the letters slant to the left
backhand
2 of 4 adjective
: using or made with a backhand
backhand
3 of 4 verb
: to do, hit, or catch with a backhand
backhand
4 of 4 adverb
variants
or backhanded
ˈbak-ˈhan-dəd
: with a backhand
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