fastball

noun

fast·​ball ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl How to pronounce fastball (audio)
: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed and often appearing to rise slightly as it nears the plate
fastballer noun

Examples of fastball in a Sentence

He struck him out with a fastball.
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.
The six swings-and-misses on his fastball represented a season high and indicated that the rest of his mix was playing up and keeping opposing hitters off balance. Katie Woo, New York Times, 18 May 2026 Tarik Skubal, the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, can throw about as hard as Misiorowski, but Skubal uses his four-seam fastball less than forty per cent of the time. Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 17 May 2026 Ha-Seong Kim lined a two-strike fastball off Chapman’s leg that Chapman eventually found along the first-base line before throwing to first for the final out. Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 17 May 2026 The second home run to Murakami, a two-run shot in the fifth, was a four-seam fastball on the outer third of the strike zone. Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for fastball

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fastball was in 1883

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fastball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastball. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

fastball

noun
fast·​ball ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl How to pronounce fastball (audio)
: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed

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