1A pitch thrown with a strong downward spin, causing the ball to drop suddenly and veer to the side as it approaches home plate.
- The statistics don't reflect, for instance, how many times pitchers plunk batters with changeups, curveballs or other off-speed pitches, or how much effort a hitter makes to get out of the way.
- Now that his back is feeling better, Estes is better able to locate his pitches, particularly his curveball.
- My fastball was unhittable, my changeup was devastating, and my curveball dropped off the face of the earth.
1.1North American informal Something which is unexpected, surprising, or disruptive: there’s always a curveball on every mission
More example sentences
- When you think that the technique has reached its peak, along comes a curveball in the shape of two CDs that are another landmark in the field of electronic music.
- His curveball came, though, in the form of a severed Achilles tendon that ended his dreams of making the majors.
- Getting back on track after a slight curveball is what's important.
- North American informal Unexpectedly present someone with a challenge or disruption: just when you think things are working out, life throws you a curveballMore example sentences
- Just know that this won't be the last time Mother Nature throws us a curveball.
- Every once in a while you are thrown a curveball.
- Just when we got the hang of baking with applesauce instead of oil, the diet gurus throw us another curveball: Forget counting fat grams, they say.
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