Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

curveball

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.71 in modern English

Syllables: curve-ball
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A forespin pitch thrown by rotating the index and middle fingers down and resulting in motion down "curve"

noun

An unexpected turn of events initiated by an opponent or chance; an exception or outlier.

American usage

verb

To throw a curveball.

Example Sentences

"He bit on a curveball in the dirt."
"Caglianone ripped Miles Mikolas’ curveball into the right-field corner for an RBI double that scored Salvador Perez in the fourth inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Cardinals."
"Cam Smith bounced to shortstop on a 100 mph fastball, and Jacob Melton also grounded out on an 86.9 mph curveball."
"Life has thrown him a few curveballs."
"The season’s first episode, “Bart Gets an F,” got the highest ratings in its history, but “Treehouse of Horror” was the real curveball: a genre-busting effort that proudly punched above the show’s expectations."
"There are two curveball nominations, one perhaps a popularity bid and the other a credibility bid. The popular one is Bieber’s Purpose."

Etymology

From curve + ball.

Usage

American usage

Inflected Forms

curveballs (plural) curveballs (present, singular) curveballing (participle, present) curveballed (participle, past) curveballed (past)

Derived Forms

curveballer

Phrases

throw someone a curveball throw someone a curve knee-buckler breaking pitch

Frequently Paired Words

throw someone a curve fastball hardball slider cut fastball two-seam fastball split-finger fastball sinker

Synonyms

curve deuce yakker twist

Questions

What does curveball mean?: A forespin pitch thrown by rotating the index and middle fingers down and resulting in motion down "curve"
Where does curveball come from?: From curve + ball.

How to pronounce curveball

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “curveball”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “curveball” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.