at bat

noun

plural at bats

baseball

: a turn at batting

had three hits in five at bats

Note: For the purposes of calculating a player's batting average and slugging percentage, an official at bat is charged for each turn at batting except when the player walks, hits a sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly, is hit by a pitched ball, or is interfered with by the catcher.

Examples of at bat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Bulldogs scored in the fifth when Phelps, who was 1 for 11 in the CWS and struck out his first two times at bat, doubled in Brennan Hudson for Georgia's first hit. —CBS News, 17 June 2026

After whiffing during his first at bat, Hundley hit a triple in the fourth inning, a double off the left field wall in the scoreless sixth, a homer (his 16th of the season) in the eighth and a single in the 11th. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026

Langford and Seager got nice rounds of applause upon their returns to the plate but neither recorded a hit in their first at bat with a fly out and a pop out respectively. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026

Outfielder Dillon Lewis, who the Marlins view as the prospect with the highest ceiling in that trade, has 11 homers and 30 RBI in 43 games (159 at bats) at Double A Pensacola. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for at bat

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat