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Definition of "backhand" []

  • Sports A stroke or motion, as of a racket, made with the back of the hand facing outward and the arm moving forward. (noun)
  • Sports A pass or shot in hockey made with the back of the blade of the stick. (noun)
  • Sports A catch made in baseball by reaching across the body with the palm turned toward the ball. (noun)
  • Handwriting characterized by letters that slant to the left. (noun)
  • Made with or using a backhand. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "backhand" in a sentence
  • "Today's players are extraordinarily skilful but I would still like to see them hitting a running top-spin backhand in the manner of Rod Laver while using a wooden-framed racket that weighs double the ones they use now and has a sweet spot a quarter the size."
  • "If anyone out here has any tips on hitting a consistent top-spin backhand, please fax them to Doubleday."
  • "He added his second of the game - his ninth of the season - when he beat Elliott with a backhand from a sharp angle with 1: 53 remaining."