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 lineup managed only four hits and never came close to sustaining any sort of offensive rhythm, tallying just three at bats with runners in scoring position while going 0 for 3. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025

Ryan O'Hearn #32 of the Baltimore Orioles at bat against the New York Yankees in the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium on June 21, 2025 in New York... —Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025

My only wish is that Josh Pearson had been able to get an at bat, but even that demonstrates the larger point about this team rising to be better than the sum of its parts: a senior fan favorite who accepts a platoon role with grace. —Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 22 June 2025

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Padres were up 5-2 with two outs and a man on third base with Ohtani at bat. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2025

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