How to Use curveball in a Sentence

curveball

noun
Definition of curveballnext
  • The batter struck out on a curveball.
  • And as Plec mentions, life will throw them a curveball that could affect their lifelong friendship.
    — Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 30 Aug. 2021
  • With one flick of the wrist, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached for a full-count curveball over the outer edge of the plate.
    — Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2021
  • But just as the tension reached its peak, the organizers threw a curveball, announcing a surprise twist.
    — Ana Gutierrez, Austin American-Statesman, 25 Nov. 2024
  • Gray has spent recent weeks developing a second slider/cutter, but his curveball was key to combat a lefty-heavy lineup.
    — Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 26 Aug. 2021
  • The movement on his pitches, particularly his two-seam fastball and curveball, froze batters.
    — Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 7 Sep. 2021
  • Pipeline describes Winn’s fastball and curveball as potential plus pitches in the future.
    — Brice Paterik, Dallas News, 19 Aug. 2021
  • Texas loaded the bases before Weaver struck out pitcher Kohei Arihara on a curveball.
    — Jack Thompson, The Arizona Republic, 9 Sep. 2021
  • Bosses, parents, teachers and the police — all authority figures — might suddenly throw a curveball at you.
    — Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 24 Nov. 2024
  • In his new study, Hall and his team of nutritionists are throwing some curveballs in the matchup between minimally and ultraprocessed foods.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
  • Guerrero hit his 40th homer on Jameson Taillon’s 13th pitch, a full-count curveball that landed a few rows into the seats in right.
    — Larry Fleisher, ajc, 6 Sep. 2021
  • The curveball this year was thrown when the Clark’s and Western grebes took advantage of ideal conditions and began nesting in late July.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2021
  • Robertson joined the Rays on Wednesday and pitched a scoreless inning, hitting 93 miles per hour with his fastball and showing good command of his curveball.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2021
  • López did not come back out for the third, with his fastball more than 5 mph below his season average and his curveball nearly 8 mph slower, according to Statcast.
    — Nathan Ruiz, baltimoresun.com, 19 Aug. 2021
  • The 25-year-old rookie struck out Guerrero and Breyvic Valera with his advanced curveball in 3-2 counts to start and conclude the fourth inning.
    — Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 29 Aug. 2021
  • 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 truth is, any time of the year can throw me a migraine curveball.
    — Natasha Lavender, SELF, 11 Mar. 2022
  • 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
  • Farmer was called out on strikes, frozen by a curveball.
    — Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 22 Sep. 2021
  • That seems to me to set up for a curveball or two early.
    — Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2024
  • Urquidy’s first pitch to Trout that day at Minute Maid Park was a curveball.
    — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2022
  • Reyes turned on a 1-and-1 curveball, sending it over the wall in left field.
    — Tim Withers, Hartford Courant, 3 July 2022
  • How Cole Kmet hit a curveball in the Chicago Bears’ blowout win.
    — Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2024
  • With two on and one out, Mantiply tried to go down and away with a 1-2 curveball.
    — Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 25 June 2022
  • Jefferies tried a curveball and a 96 mph sinker that missed.
    — Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Apr. 2022
  • In the first inning, Stephenson hit a first pitch curveball to drive in a run.
    — Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 11 May 2022
  • But baseball can be a fickle game, and the fates can spin faster than the best curveball.
    — Creg Stephenson | [email protected], al, 27 Oct. 2021
  • Janet Dunne made peace a long time ago with the awful curveball life threw her in 1968.
    — John Wilkens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Nov. 2021
  • And his curveball/changeup mix might be the best mix of secondary stuff in the system.
    — Evan Grant, Dallas News, 14 Mar. 2023

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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