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Definition of "screwball" [screwball]

  • Baseball A pitched ball that curves in the direction opposite to that of a normal curve ball. (noun)
  • Slang An eccentric, impulsively whimsical, or irrational person. (noun)
  • Slang Impulsively whimsical; eccentric: That screwball proposal won't work. (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 "screwball" in a sentence
  • "Quote: We had some pitchers that threw what we called a screwball in those days, but that was a hard pitch to throw, and it was hard on your arm."
  • "The slider, fastball, and the screwball were all on tonight."
  • "One might assume that the incurve is simply the reverse of the outcurve, which would be the reverse of the curveball … which is to say, a screwball."