Meaning & use
off break
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Meaning
nouncountablesport
In cricket, a ball bowled by an off-spinner that turns from the off side toward the leg side after bouncing.
Grammar: Countable: 'an off break', 'two off breaks'. Often used in the plural when talking about a type of bowling.
Patterns
- bowl an off break
- an off break from someone
The bowler took three wickets with his off breaks.
He deceived the batsman with a well-disguised off break.
Off breaks are effective on pitches that help spin.
Word forms
| plural | off breaks |
|---|
Common combinations
- bowl an off break
- She can bowl an off break that turns sharply.
- off break bowler
- He is primarily an off break bowler.
- off break delivery
- The off break delivery caught the batsman off guard.
Synonyms and how they differ
- off-spinner
- This can mean the bowler or the ball; 'off break' specifically refers to the ball's turning action.
Opposites
Commonly confused: off break or leg break? off break or off-spin?
off break vs leg break
A leg break turns from the leg side to the off side, the opposite direction to an off break.
off break vs off-spin
Off-spin is the style of bowling; an off break is one delivery of that style.
Practice
In cricket, what does an off break do?
Choose one answer.
An off break turns from the off side to the leg side after pitching. Option A describes a leg break; C and D are not features of an off break.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “off break”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.