How to Use knuckleball in a Sentence

knuckleball

noun
  • The palm ball, like the knuckleball, doesn’t rotate.
    — Joe Knowles, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
  • The entire point of a knuckleball is to keep the ball from spinning.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2021
  • Chris Nowlin would love to teach you how to throw a knuckleball.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2021
  • Then a scout named Goldie Holt showed him how to throw a knuckleball.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2016
  • But there was a secret knuckleball after that, an uni hand roll.
    — Cesar Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2023
  • And for those few seconds, nothing in the whole darn world can touch a knuckleball.
    — Andy Nesbitt, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2021
  • Kern lists his pitches as a two-seam and four-seam fastball plus a knuckleball.
    — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 10 July 2019
  • Defying age, of course, is part of the magic of the knuckleball.
    — New York Times, 28 Dec. 2020
  • This was a solid strike, causing the shot to wobble knuckleball style.
    — Frank Dell’apa, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2019
  • Screwball, knuckleball, spitball, from down by his hip to up around his ear and all points in between.
    — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 29 Mar. 2020
  • Even the most skilled hitters can struggle against the dancing knuckleball.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, kansascity, 8 June 2018
  • His measurements revealed that a knuckleball takes just as smooth a path as any other pitch.
    — Guest Blogger, Discover Magazine, 15 Nov. 2012
  • That’s not ideal, exactly; the best knuckleballs often zig and zag away from the mitt.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 1 July 2017
  • Blandino is believed to have had a knuckleball as part of his repertoire for several years.
    — Dave Clark, The Enquirer, 23 Jan. 2024
  • The rookie lacked a feel for his primary weapon, the knuckleball, even as his other pitches found too much plate.
    — Dennis Lin, The Athletic, 22 Aug. 2024
  • Vinatieri booted a low knuckleball that literally hit the crossbar on its way over.
    — Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, 10 Dec. 2017
  • Feierabend gets at a number of the factors that endanger the knuckleball.
    — Matthew Gutierrez, The Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2019
  • But judging the character of a baseball player is like trying to hit a knuckleball.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 12 Jan. 2020
  • Waldron developed a knuckleball, no small feat.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Phil Niekro, who rode his knuckleball to the Baseball Hall of Fame, dies at 81.
    — Editors, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2020
  • He is also engaged in an ongoing experiment of how to use his knuckleball.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2024
  • Holman had to be carted off the field, but the Spartans got the ball to set up Coghlin’s knuckleball of a winning kick.
    — Chris Solari, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2020
  • September can deceive like a knuckleball.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Still, the Vikings' chances were few and far between until Trujillo broke through with her knuckleball of a header.
    — Grant Gordon, latimes.com, 16 Feb. 2018
  • Maldonado’s challenge was on a knuckleball from Waldron that barely nicked the bottom of the zone.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
  • Timing is important for Balanag’s knuckleball, more so than for other pitches.
    — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • All told, Wilhelm threw just 99 pitches — 90% of them knuckleballs, which danced their way past flailing batters.
    — Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 22 Aug. 2023
  • While his knuckleball was not dancing at its best all day, Waldron discovered the command of his fastball and sweeper that was missing in the first two innings.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
  • That blast came off a knuckleball from the Braves' Phil Niekro on the first homestand of the 1970 season.
    — Matt Young, Houston Chronicle, 10 July 2018
  • Feeney’s first snap to quarterback Rivers in the shotgun formation was a bit of a knuckleball, and some of his snaps weren’t as crisp as Pouncey’s usually are.
    — Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2019

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

Last Updated: