How to Use curveball in a Sentence

curveball

noun
Definition of curveballnext
Synonyms for curveballnext
  • The batter struck out on a curveball.
  • The one-two pitch on the way: curveball, tapped foul off to the left of the plate.
    — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
  • The first curveball of the sequence was well outside to run the count full.
    — Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Nov. 2022
  • More of those curveballs Neville talked about loom on the horizon.
    — Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2023
  • And his curveball/changeup mix might be the best mix of secondary stuff in the system.
    — Evan Grant, Dallas News, 14 Mar. 2023
  • Watching Tebow try to hit Triple A curveballs was more fun than this.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2023
  • In the 10th, Ketel Marte struck out looking on a curveball that appeared to miss the bottom of the zone.
    — Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 16 May 2023
  • The right-hander is known for his deadly curveball, which has a spin rate of 3,000-plus rpm.
    — John Leuzzi, Journal Sentinel, 11 July 2023
  • That’s a bit of a wrinkle in the progress of this case that was unusual and a little bit of a curveball.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2022
  • Fate didn’t throw a curveball at Justin Hillman when he was born.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023
  • Soriano's first-pitch 86 mph curveball hit Alonso near the back of the neck.
    — Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2023
  • The slugger crushed his 39th home run of the season off of Tyson Miller’s 2-and-2 curveball, which Miller threw right down the middle.
    — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2022
  • Despite this curveball from the committee, the path is still very clear for the Trojans.
    — Staff Writer follow, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2022
  • Martin Scorsese has the best curveball in the business.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2023
  • Starting in the mid-Nineties, Bullens’ life was tossed many curveballs.
    — David Browne, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2023
  • Then, the weather threw Park City Mountain a curveball.
    — Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023
  • The best pitches from Brown mirror the best in the league, from fastballs painting the top of the zone to curveballs falling off the table.
    — Michael Shapiro, Chron, 4 Apr. 2023
  • In the fourth inning, Rooker lifted a curveball down the left field line for a solo homer.
    — Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 30 Apr. 2023
  • Meanwhile, a partner or close friend might throw you a curveball.
    — Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 29 Jan. 2024
  • His fastball and curveball stand out in his repertoire.
    — John Leuzzi, Journal Sentinel, 11 July 2023
  • Williams whiffed Cabrera on curveball at his knees with Vierling at third to end the inning.
    — Joe Noga, cleveland, 18 Aug. 2023
  • The one curveball is if the Mountain West dissolves, which would require votes from nine of 12 members.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2024
  • With a runner on first base and one out, Aaron Ashby walked two batters to load the bases and then hit Austin Romine with a curveball to tie the score.
    — Cincinnati Enquirer, The Enquirer, 25 Sep. 2022
  • More to the point, life throws us many curveballs that are not, and cannot be, anticipated by our laws.
    — Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 13 Jan. 2024
  • But a curveball fashion moment wouldn’t go amiss… Our bad!
    — Alex Kessler, Vogue, 12 Jan. 2024
  • The dramatist packs in so many curveballs that some are inevitably going to be wild pitches.
    — Peter Marks, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
  • And Hornell’s pitcher threw it, a curveball to seemingly end the game.
    — Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 31 May 2023
  • The fare changes often but always includes the classics plus some curveballs.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2023
  • But life had some curveballs to throw, and the show didn’t go forward at its original network.
    — Time, 26 June 2023
  • Altuve lined a sinker into left, and Pena drove a curveball into the left-field corner for a 1-0 lead.
    — Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'curveball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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