designated hitter

noun

1

: a baseball player designated at the start of the game to bat in place of the pitcher without causing the pitcher to be removed from the game

2

: representative, substitute

Synonyms of designated hitter

• replacement
• substitute

Examples of designated hitter in a Sentence

you'll have to be my designated hitter in the office while I'm on business trips

Recent Examples on the Web

Braves designated hitter Jorge Mateo homered for the second straight game to cut the Reds' lead in the fifth. —CBS News, 1 June 2026

Hokies designated hitter Hudson Lutterman then drove in another run on a single in the ninth. —Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026

Schwarber doesn’t come near matching those players’ defensive value, but the Phillies designated hitter’s rare hitting ability creates large problems. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026

David Sandlin’s first big-league pitch initially was called a strike but got switched to a ball after an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge by Minnesota Twins designated hitter Byron Buxton. —Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for designated hitter

• babysitter
• bitter
• critter
• fitter
• fritter
• glitter
• jitter
• knitter
• litter
• quitter
• ritter
• splitter