cannonball

American  

[kan-uhn-bawl] / ˈkæn ənˌbɔl /

noun

1. a missile, usually round and made of iron or steel, designed to be fired from a cannon.

2. Tennis. a served ball that travels with great speed and describes little or no arc in flight.

3. anything that moves with great speed, as an express train.

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adjective

1. made from a curled-up position with the arms pressing the knees against one's chest.

   a cannonball dive.

2. moving at great speed.

   a train known as a cannonball express.

cannonball British  

/ ˈkænənˌbɔːl /

noun

1. a projectile fired from a cannon: usually a solid round metal shot

2. tennis

   1. a very fast low serve

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cannonball serve

3. a jump into water by a person who has his arms tucked into the body to form a ball

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verb

1. to rush along, like a cannonball

2. to execute a cannonball jump

adjective

1. very fast or powerful

Etymology

Origin of cannonball

First recorded in 1655–65; cannon + ball ¹

Example Sentences

“We need to have the basic things,” said Biniam Girmay, a high-speed cannonball from Eritrea who in 2024 won three sprint stages at the Tour de France.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Here they tautologically come, slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2024

Locals schlep their own gear to the jagged lava rock perches that line the coast and cannonball into the turquoise sea.

From New York Times • May 29, 2024

You curl into a cannonball and pray for salvation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2024

We’d cannonball into his pool, and he’d drown me in silly jokes, or we’d argue over Star Wars versus Star Trek and end up watching Doctor Who instead.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Related Words

• ammo
• armament
• bomb
• bullet
• cartridge
• chemical
• explosive
• gunpowder
• materiel
• missile
• munition
• napalm
• rocket
• shrapnel
• torpedo