backspin

[ bak-spin ]

noun

1. reverse rotation of a ball causing it to bounce or roll backward or stop short.

backspin

/ ˈbækˌspɪn /

noun

1. sport a backward spinning motion imparted to a ball to reduce its speed at impact, as by hitting it with a downward or undercutting motion Compare topspin

Word History and Origins

Origin of backspin¹

First recorded in 1905–10; back ² + spin

Example Sentences

You’re going from a 100-mph groundball hit to you on the dirt to center field, where balls are slicing, they have backspin or top spin.

From Los Angeles Times

“If he hit that with backspin,” third baseman Max Muncy said, “it’s out of the stadium for sure.”

From Los Angeles Times

But things are finally starting to take a turn — or a backspin, as a pickler might say.

From Los Angeles Times

“I felt like that groove caught the ball a little bit more and produced more backspin. I felt like I got more performance out of an ash bat than a maple bat.”

From New York Times

Day leaped into a share of the lead with an eagle on the 14th, holing out from 118 yards by dropping it past the pin with a sublime backspin that took it straight in.

From Washington Post