southpaw
noun
Did you know?
Southpaw is of obscure origin. A popular theory holds that it comes from the onetime position of ballparks in relation to the sun. Supposedly, late 19th-century ballparks were laid out so that the pitcher looked in a westerly direction when facing the batter. The throwing arm of a left-handed pitcher would then be to the south-hence the name southpaw. This theory of its origin is undermined, however, by the fact that the original use of southpaw does not involve baseball at all. Rather, the term was used as early as 1848 to describe, simply, the left hand or a punch or blow given with the left hand. Today, we often use southpaw as a good-natured term for a left-handed person, but the word is sometimes viewed as stigmatizing by left-handed people.
Examples of southpaw in a Sentence
Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
But to make matters worse, the Twins are scheduled to face two of the best southpaws this week with reigning two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal lined up for Tuesday and Framber Valdez, whom the Twins made a run at in free agency, set for the next day.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
The southpaw also tallied six hits, three walks, four strikeouts and 88 pitches.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
The 21-year-old British southpaw had been dispatching opponents early — none of his previous nine opponents had made it through two rounds.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for southpaw
Cite this Entry
“Southpaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southpaw. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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southpaw
noun
