How to Use curveball in a Sentence

curveball

noun
  • The batter struck out on a curveball.
  • His curveball was again an out pitch.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
  • The green light was a curveball.
    Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Which was a curveball on its own.
    Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Holmes used to throw a curveball.
    Will Sammon, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Life has thrown them more than one curveball.
    Kate Bilo, CBS News, 16 June 2026
  • Good time for a curveball, right?
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Then here comes a curveball — mousse!
    Essence, 18 Dec. 2025
  • Richards’s curveball ranked at the top of the league in spin.
    BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2021
  • One thing that’s been a weapon for him is his loopy curveball.
    Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 23 Aug. 2020
  • To sort of throw us a complete curveball.
    Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
  • But then, the data threw us a curveball.
    Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2026
  • And the next inning, a curveball would feel good.
    Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Joseph said the triple came on a second curveball thrown his way.
    James Peters, baltimoresun.com, 27 June 2021
  • Bauer tried a curveball that dropped just below the strike zone.
    Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 29 Aug. 2020
  • But this one throws a total curveball.
    Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2026
  • This deal feels like hitting a curveball right out of the park!
    Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Got a couple good swings on curveballs.
    Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2026
  • The truth is, any time of the year can throw me a migraine curveball.
    Natasha Lavender, SELF, 11 Mar. 2022
  • More of those curveballs Neville talked about loom on the horizon.
    Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2023
  • The first curveball of the sequence was well outside to run the count full.
    Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Nov. 2022
  • Few modern bands would even try to throw that many curveballs into one set.
    Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Yamamoto then came back over the plate with a curveball.
    Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Meanwhile, a younger friend or a member of a group might throw you a curveball.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Throwing more curveballs for strikes is a focal point too.
    Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Stay light on your feet, because someone close to you might throw you a curveball.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 7 Aug. 2025
  • And the first field goal attempt of the game looked like the best curveball ever thrown.
    Scott Patsko, cleveland, 2 Nov. 2020
  • His curveball is also straighter but two ticks harder.
    Eno Sarris, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The curveball and changeup keep hitters off the heaters.
    Matt Gelb, New York Times, 6 June 2026
  • But, like many of their pitchers over the years, the Keys had a good curveball.
    Washington Post, 17 May 2021

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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