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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Addison Barger walked, and Roberts moved the infield in for a possible play at the plate and Kirk at bat. Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 2 Nov. 2025 Nathan Lukes walked in Toronto’s next at bat, bringing home another run. Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2025 Their season was on the line, and their most important, and at times most impactful, player was at bat. Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025 Next year, that at bat likely would have played out completely differently. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for at bat

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of at bat was in 1908

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Cite this Entry

“At bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20bat. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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