spit·ball
ˈspit-ˌbȯl 
1
: paper chewed and rolled into a ball to be thrown or shot as a missile
2
: a baseball pitch delivered after the ball has been moistened with saliva or sweat
spitballed; spitballing
informal
: to propose (ideas, suggestions, etc.) for consideration in an informal, preliminary way
Writers spitballed story ideas; editors dreamed up coverage ….—
Nick Summers
Nick SummersHe has his finger on every facet of the concert presentation, using rehearsals to tweak the visuals and spitball new ideas.—Marshall Fine
Marshall FineLinklater, Coltrane, and Hawke had started spitballing dialogue a year earlier, though they'd begun anticipating the scene years before that.—Nathan Heller
Nathan Heller… it's probably a little late for Vance Joseph and his coaching staff to be spitballing on what kind of team they want the Broncos to be.—Mark Kiszla
Mark KiszlaExamples of spitball in a Sentence
Noun
The kids were shooting spitballs at each other.
Recent Examples on the Web
George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
His signature pitch was a spitball, the preferred offering of the era.
—Tommy Birch, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2022
Katie Campione, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2024
People don’t know, and everybody spitballs their ideas.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See all Example Sentences for spitball 
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Noun
Meanwhile, Schiff has been hitting big league pitching in Washington for years, including nasty spitballs hurled by Donald Trump, who loves to throw beanballs at opponents’ heads.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
His signature pitch was a spitball, the preferred offering of the era.
—Tommy Birch, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2022
Verb
Shortly after arriving home, a knock at her door reveals Aubrey Plaza’s agent Rio Vidal is there to spitball about the case.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2024
People don’t know, and everybody spitballs their ideas.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See all Example Sentences for spitball
Dictionary Entries Near spitball
Cite this Entry
“Spitball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spitball. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spitball
noun
spit·ball
ˈspit-ˌbȯl
1
: paper chewed and rolled into a ball to be thrown or shot at someone or something
2
: a baseball pitch thrown after the ball has been moistened with spit or sweat
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