comebacker

noun

come·​back·​er ˈkəm-ˌba-kər How to pronounce comebacker (audio)
plural comebackers
1
baseball : a ground ball hit directly to the pitcher
… Cormier had retired Mo Vaughn … on a weak comebacker to the mound to end the seventh.Gordon Edes
2
golf : a putt back to the hole after a preceding putt has rolled past it
After pitching to within 20 feet of the pin, Junior runs his first putt four feet past and then misses the comebacker.Jaime Diaz

Examples of comebacker in a Sentence

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.
But in mid-June he was hit in the face by a comebacker, fracturing his cheekbone and sidelining him for two months. Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic, 17 Apr. 2024 Advertisement Shoulder problems derailed Treinen in 2022 and 2023, and Treinen suffered another setback last March when a Cactus League comebacker drilled him in the right rib cage. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024 He was struck on his right wrist by Diaz’s second-inning comebacker. Chantz Martin, Fox News, 2 Oct. 2024 After taking a comebacker off his left calf July 27 in Baltimore, King is expected to make his next start this week in Pittsburgh. Dennis Lin, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for comebacker 

Word History

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of comebacker was in 1954

Dictionary Entries Near comebacker

Cite this Entry

“Comebacker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comebacker. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!