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sidearm

American  
[sahyd-ahrm] / ˈsaɪdˌɑrm /

adverb

  1. with a swinging motion of the arm moving to the side of the body at shoulder level or below and nearly parallel to the ground.

    to pitch sidearm.

adjective

  1. thrown or performed sidearm.

    a sidearm curve ball; sidearm stroke.

Etymology

Origin of sidearm

First recorded in 1925–30; side 1 + arm 1

Vocabulary lists containing sidearm

Excerpt from "Bad Boy"

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

From 1985 to 2021, the Beretta M9 was the standard-issue sidearm for the American military.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

They had agreed there’d be no semiautomatic rifles, Williams told me, so everyone brought a sidearm.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2025

Scrambling to his left, quarterback Sam Howell saw a slight opening and slid the ball into it with a sidearm throw.

From Washington Times • Dec. 3, 2023

A former reliever with an awkward delivery and a sidearm release, Strahm flummoxed Mariners hitters.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 27, 2023

A series of quick sidearm jerks and our kite shot up counterclockwise, in a half circle.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.