backhand

1 of 4

noun

back·​hand ˈbak-ˌhand How to pronounce backhand (audio)
1
a
: 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

Illustration of backhand

Illustration of backhand
  • backhand 1a

backhand

2 of 4

adjective

: made with a backhand
a backhand tennis stroke

backhand

3 of 4

adverb

back·​hand ˈbak-ˌhand How to pronounce backhand (audio)
variants or backhanded
: with a backhand

backhand

4 of 4

verb

backhanded; backhanding; backhands

transitive verb

: 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
Fiala scored on a spinning backhand two minutes into the extra session to give the Kings their third win in four games. Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 When Gauff won, with a backhand passing shot down the line, Arthur Ashe Stadium erupted. Abby Aguirre, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024 Byfield though still had possession despite being on one knee and put a backhand past Merzlikins’ glove for his 18th goal of the season. Joe Reedy, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024 Just 19 seconds after Dmitri Voronkov gave Columbus a two-goal lead at the 7:14 mark of the second, Duclair took a pass from Zetterlund, got in close, and beat Elvis Merzlikins with a backhand to forehand move to score his 11th of the season. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024 He’s also been the owner of one of the best backhand shots in league history, so MacKinnon scoring such a pretty one on a pass from Crosby was a fun highlight from the weekend. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2024 Zheng’s forehand response to Sabalenka’s forehand was often late, and there were times when Sabalenka’s inside-out forehand to Zheng’s backhand seemed to knock the racquet from her grip. Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2024 The Badgers finally got on the board early in the third, when traffic in front of the net likely prevented Close from seeing the loose puck, or the backhand shot by Lindmark that tied the game 1-1. Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 2 Feb. 2024 Strome made a move on Saros before slipping a backhand between the goaltender’s pads. Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2024
Adjective
The Winterhawks don’t get back as a give-and-go between Korchinski and Schaefer in the neutral zone creates a 2-on-1, and Korchinski quickly makes a backhand feed to Crnkovic in front. Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 26 Nov. 2022 Dalton, who has four game-winning goals this season, beat Quinnipiac goalie Logan Angers with a backhand shot 11:42, then Emma Seitz scores from point-blank range from in front of the right circle at 16:21. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Jan. 2023 Later, a rolling backhand winner down the line got her to within a game of the victory. Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 29 Aug. 2022 But Hovde finished strong, concluding with a beautiful backhand winner to take the first set in 31 minutes. Peter Warren, Dallas News, 9 July 2022 Keller beat Nico Hischier and scored a backhand goal 8:19 into the second to tie it 2-2 on another power-play goal. Matt Sugam, ajc, 13 Nov. 2022 After Williams struck a swinging backhand volley winner to take a 4-0 lead in the second set, her play improving with every passing moment, the reaction was earsplitting. Howard Fendrich, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2022 On Tuesday, Roope Hintz scored the tying goal before Jacob Peterson won it with a backhand slip between John Gibson’s legs. Dallas News, 30 Mar. 2022 Larkin had a backhand attempt early in the power play, but otherwise a unit of him, Bertuzzi, Raymond, Seider and David Perron were unable to create much. Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, 8 Oct. 2022
Adverb
Radulov showed backhand before pulling it to his forehand and slipping the puck past Linus Ullmark. Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2022 When one last backhand by Nadal found the net, Tiafoe put his hands on his head. Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 Swayman stopped 30 of 32 in his first outing since Dec. 9, fooled by a Boone Jenner backhand and overmatched by a Patrik Laine one-timer. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Dec. 2022 Coco Gauff had used her range and speed to catch up to a shot by Zhang Shuai and return it with her bread-and-butter backhand late in the second set of their fourth-round match Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2022 No tennis brand would be complete without a polo shirt and Ashe has several that, in place of Lacoste’s crocodile or Fred Perry’s wreath, are emblazoned with a silhouette of the player serving his signature backhand. Kareem Rashed, Robb Report, 26 Aug. 2022 But daughter Christy Childers says her mom still rules at table tennis with a killer backhand. Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2022
Verb
Johnson’s shot from the top of the zone missed the net but caromed off the end boards and back in front, where Johansen was waiting to backhand it past Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 20 Feb. 2024 Ewing scored on an early counterattack and backhanded shot from center to give the Crestview League runner-up an 2-0 lead in the opening period. Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 11 Feb. 2024 With the Wild on the power play, Hintz one-timed a no-look, backhanded pass from Seguin past Fleury at 10:44 mark of the first period. Phil Ervin, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024 Then, at the exact right moment, the exhausted San Jose Sharks captain — at the end of the shift — backhanded a saucer pass to defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who chipped it past goalie John Gibson for the game’s first goal. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2024 But beyond the accolades, the critical reception often included backhanded — sometimes bordering on misogynistic — disparagements of the protagonist. Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Nov. 2023 His security then backhanded me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, 6 July 2023 This is more than a rebellious move to dye her hair or get a tattoo; Regan MacNeil is cursing out a priest, backhanding her mother across the room and repeatedly defying gravity to hang out near the ceiling of her bedroom. Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2023 The boy told police that Tuttle backhanded the child in the mouth, knocking him into a wall and causing his lip to bleed. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 July 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1695, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1767, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of backhand was in 1657

Dictionary Entries Near backhand

Cite this Entry

“Backhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backhand. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

backhand

1 of 4 noun
back·​hand -ˌhand How to pronounce backhand (audio)
1
a
: a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement
b
: a catch made with the arm across the body and the palm turned away from the body
2
: handwriting in which the letters slant to the left

backhand

2 of 4 adjective
: using or made with a backhand

backhand

3 of 4 verb
: to do, hit, or catch with a backhand

backhand

4 of 4 adverb
variants or backhanded
ˈbak-ˈhan-dəd
: with a backhand
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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