Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$text in /home/b70ba15/public_html/dictionarywebster.com/view.php on line 298
backhand
noun
back·hand
| \ ˈbak-ˌhand
\
\
Definition of backhand
(Entry 1 of 4)
1a
: a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement
also
: the side on which such strokes are made
b
: a catch (as in baseball) made to the side of the body opposite the hand being used
2
: handwriting whose strokes slant downward from left to right
backhand
adjectiveDefinition of backhand (Entry 2 of 4)
: made with a backhand
a backhand tennis stroke
backhand
adverb
back·hand
| \ ˈbak-ˌhand
\
\
variants:
or backhanded \ ˈbak-ˈhan-dəd
\
\
Definition of backhand (Entry 3 of 4)
: with a backhand
backhand
verb
backhanded;
backhanding;
backhands
Definition of backhand (Entry 4 of 4)
: to do, hit, or catch backhand
Examples of backhand in a Sentence
Noun
She has a good backhand but a weak forehand.Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
There were other ways in which Williams was not at her best, seemingly unsure of herself, including one odd-looking check-swing on a backhand in the second set that then let Andreescu put a shot away to go up 4-1. — Washington Post, "Bianca Andreescu beats Serena Williams in US Open final," 7 Sep. 2019 There were other ways in which Williams was not at her best, seemingly unsure of herself, including one odd-looking check-swing on a backhand in the second set that then let Andreescu put a shot away to go up 4-1. — Howard Fendrich, Houston Chronicle, "Bianca Andreescu beats Serena Williams in U.S. Open final," 7 Sep. 2019 Berrettini won the next point on a forehand volley but lost the next one on a short backhand. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Rafael Nadal sweeps his way into U.S. Open final to set up showdown with Daniil Medvedev," 6 Sep. 2019 On the court, Medvedev is known for his wide variety of shots, including a hard, flat backhand and a forehand characterized by an unusual windup and follow-through. — David Waldstein, New York Times, "Nadal and Medvedev Will Play for the U.S. Open Men’s Title," 6 Sep. 2019 Townsend netted one last short backhand, and the match was over. — Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, "Bianca Andreescu Makes the Case for More Attention in Her Victory Over Taylor Townsend," 3 Sep. 2019 Federer made his intentions known from the onset, coming in frequently and fruitfully on Evans’ slice backhand and limiting the errors that plagued him in those earlier matches. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "Federer, Serena Rounding Into Form Ahead U.S. Open's Second Week," 30 Aug. 2019 But Sharapova muffed a return and Williams got back to deuce with a spectacular backhand winner down the line. — Wayne Coffey, USA TODAY, "US Open: Serena Williams delivers powerful punch, in classic form against Maria Sharapova," 22 Aug. 2019 Lippert, a lefty, forced Komatineni to his backhand often and broke serve to gain a 2-1 advantage in the first set. — Luke Feliciano, Cincinnati.com, "Niraj Komatineni and Wil Lofgren to match up in Cincinnati Met Tennis Finals," 20 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
DeShields singled on a grounder that second baseman Jonathan Villar couldn't backhand. — Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles can't muster much offense in 12-inning loss to Rangers," 6 June 2019 In the original, Zazu decides to go for help — but Scar backhands him, knocking him out for the time being. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "Here's How the New Lion King Is Different From the Original," 17 July 2019 Myers led off the ninth inning by striking a sharp grounder into the hole left of shortstop, but Ahmed backhanded the ball and beat Myers by a step at first. — Kevin Acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Diamondbacks cool down Lucchesi, beat cold Padres," 22 Apr. 2018 O’Reilly scored in the opening minute of the second period, backhanding in a rebound for his third goal in his last five periods. — Jimmy Golen, The Denver Post, "Blues beat Bruins 2-1, lead Stanley Cup 3-2," 6 June 2019 O'Reilly scored in the opening minute of the second period, backhanding in a rebound for his third goal in his last five periods. — Jimmy Golen, chicagotribune.com, "Jordan Binnington's 38 saves help Blues beat Bruins 2-1 and take a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup Final," 6 June 2019 Elvis Andrus backhanded the ball and threw out Moncada at the plate. — Steve Rosenbloom, chicagotribune.com, "Rick Renteria blew a big chance to make a big point with Yoan Moncada," 3 July 2018 Less than a minute later, Nicklas Backstrom backhanded a shot past Fleury, who couldn't recover after sprawling to his right with T.J. Oshie coming around the back of the goal. — W.g. Ramirez, baltimoresun.com, "Goalies Holtby, Fleury under siege in Stanley Cup Final Game 1 shootout between Caps, Knights," 29 May 2018 Less than a minute later, Nicklas Backstrom backhanded a shot past Fleury, who couldn’t recover after sprawling to his right with T.J. Oshie coming around the back of the goal. — W.g. Ramirez, The Seattle Times, "Goalies under siege in Game 1 shootout between Caps, Knights," 28 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'backhand.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for backhand
backhand
noun
English Language Learners Definition of backhand
sports
: a way of hitting a ball in tennis and similar games in which the back of the hand holding the racket is turned in the direction of the ball
: a catch in baseball and similar games that is made on the side of the body that is opposite the hand being used
See the full definition for backhand in the English Language Learners Dictionary
backhand
noun
back·hand
| \ ˈbak-ˌhand
\
\
Kids Definition of backhand
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a stroke in sports played with a racket that is made with the back of the hand turned in the direction in which the hand is moving
2
: a catch (as in baseball) made with the arm across the body and the palm turned away from the body
backhand
adverb or adjectiveKids Definition of backhand (Entry 2 of 2)
: with a backhand
caught backhand
Keep scrolling for more