knuckleball

K5N1U1C3K5L1E1B3A1L1L1

noun

A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation, which travels over an unpredictable path to the plate due to microturbulence in the air.

“Our vendor keeps throwing us knuckleballs.”

Similar
flutterballfloaterdancerbutterfly ballghostballbugknuckler
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Meanings

nounknuckleball (plural knuckleballs)

plural knuckleballs

  1. ball gamesA pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation, which travels over an unpredictable path to the plate due to microturbulence in the air.

    Even the pitcher doesn't know where his knuckleball is going.

    1 more example

    Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield is best known for his use of the knuckleball.

    Synonyms: flutterball, floater, dancer, butterfly ball, ghostball, bug

  2. ball gamesA type of delivery where a fast bowler holds the ball on the knuckles of the index and middle fingers.
  3. figurativelyinformalAn event that is hard to predict.

    Our vendor keeps throwing us knuckleballs.

verbknuckleball (third-person singular simple present knuckleballs, present participle knuckleballing, simple past and past participle knuckleballed)

present singular third person knuckleballs · participle present knuckleballing · participle past knuckleballed · past knuckleballed

  1. intransitiveball gamesTo pitch knuckleballs.

    Varitek did not start so Kevin Cash could catch the knuckleballing starter Tim Wakefield.

    2008 April 16, The Associated Press, “Tigers Rally Again to Defeat the Twins”, in New York Times

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation, which travels over an unpredictable path to the plate due to microturbulence in the air.

Similar
flutterballfloaterdancerbutterfly ballghostballbug

More synonyms by meaning

nouna baseball pitch thrown with little speed or spin

Similar
knuckler
Broader
pitchdelivery
Also see
knuckler

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From knuckle + ball.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan llançament de nus
  • llançament de nusA pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation
Finnish rystysyöttö, yllätys
  • rystysyöttöA pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation
  • yllätysAn event that is hard to predict
French balle-papillon
  • balle-papillonA pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation
Japanese ナックル
  • ナックル (nakkuru)A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation
Korean 너클볼
  • 너클볼 (neokeulbol)A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation
Polish knuckleball, nieprzewidywalne zdarzenie
  • knuckleballA pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation
  • nieprzewidywalne zdarzenieAn event that is hard to predict
Spanish lanzamiento de nudillos
  • lanzamiento de nudillosA pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation
Cite this entry
APA

knuckleball. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knuckleball

MLA

“knuckleball.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knuckleball. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “knuckleball,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knuckleball.

Source: knuckleball on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.