curveball

noun

curve·ball ˈkərv-ˌbȯl

: a slow or moderately fast baseball pitch thrown with spin to make it swerve downward and usually to the left when thrown from the right hand or to the right when thrown from the left hand

curveball verb

Examples of curveball in a Sentence

The batter struck out on a curveball.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

When production finally did come together, Gates was thrown a curveball in the form of Shawkat’s pregnancy in real life. —

Matt Donnelly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025 But even such routine curveballs often spell serious financial trouble for many Americans. —

Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2025 And the animators threw some fun curveballs, including making the embodiment of evil into a shirtless hottie that would make even shirtless Kirk jealous. —

Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2025 But could Sasaki throw his first big-league curveball before ever stepping on a mound in the United States? —

Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for curveball