cannonball

Plural: cannonballs

Noun

• a solid projectile that in former times was fired from a cannon
• A spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon.
• An explosive-filled hollow iron sphere fused through a hole and intended to explode at a calculated distance rather than explode on impact.
• The act of jumping (typically into a swimming pool) with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees to create a large splash, mimicking the flight and shape of a cannonball.
• Something that moves fast, especially a fast train.
• A served ball that travels with great speed and describes little or no arc in flight.

Verb

• To jump or dive into water, performing a cannonball landing.
• To career; to move rapidly.

Examples

• He cannonballed into the pool, drenching us all.
• Meetings of the model train club always begin with the song "Wabash Cannonball".
• The car cannonballed past.

Synonyms

cannon ball, round shot, ball, solid shot

Related Words

backflop, bellyflop, jack-knife, rip entry