Meaning & use
backhand
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablesport
In racket sports, a stroke played with the back of the hand facing the ball as it is hit, taking the racket across the body.
Grammar: Countable: a strong backhand, her backhands.
Patterns
- hit a backhand
- play a backhand down the line
She won the point with a smooth backhand down the line.
His two-handed backhand is the best part of his game.
I always practice my backhand against the wall.
nouncountable
A blow or slap delivered with the back of the hand.
Grammar: Countable and usually singular: he gave him a backhand.
Patterns
- give someone a backhand
The goalkeeper swatted the ball away with a quick backhand.
He swept the papers off the desk with a backhand.
She waved off the compliment with a backhand.
adjectivebefore a noun
Made with the back of the hand, or with the arm moving across the body, as a stroke or blow.
Grammar: Only before a noun: a backhand shot.
Patterns
- a backhand shot
He hit a backhand volley that barely cleared the net.
The hockey player made a backhand pass to his teammate.
She gave a backhand swipe at the fly.
Word forms
| plural | backhands |
|---|
Common combinations
- a two-handed backhand
- Many young players now use a two-handed backhand.
- a one-handed backhand
- His one-handed backhand is elegant but risky.
- a backhand volley
- A backhand volley won her the match.
- a backhand slice
- The backhand slice kept the ball low.
- hit a backhand
- He tried to hit a backhand but missed the ball.
Synonyms and how they differ
- forehand
- Forehand is the opposite stroke, played with the palm leading, and is the stroke most players find easier.
- slap
- A slap is any open-handed blow, while a backhand specifies the back of the hand.
- swipe
- A swipe is a quick sweeping motion in any direction, while a backhand must use the back of the hand or an across-the-body motion.
Opposites
Word family
- backhanded adjective
- done with the back of the hand, or indirect and insincere, as in a backhanded compliment
- backhander noun
- a blow with the back of the hand, or in British informal use a bribe
- back noun
- the rear part, which gives the word its first half
- hand noun
- the body part used to play the stroke
Commonly confused: backhand or backhanded?
backhand vs backhanded
Backhanded describes something indirect, such as a backhanded compliment that is really an insult, not the tennis stroke itself.
Practice
In tennis, a player hits a backhand when she ___.
Choose one answer.
A backhand is the stroke where the back of the hand faces the ball. A serve is a different stroke, and the other options are not strokes at all.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “backhand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.