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

• 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

Kurtz has 32 home runs, catcher Shea Langeliers has 30 and designated hitter Rooker is at 29. —Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025

Cubs designated hitter Moisés Ballesteros ripped his first career home run right at Rizzo, who stepped up on top of the bleacher seats to make a play. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025

And virtually all of the A’s top hitters — from Kurtz to catcher Shea Langeliers to designated hitter Brent Rooker; left fielder Tyler Soderstrom to shortstop Jacob Wilson to right fielder Lawrence Butler — are under long-term control. —Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025

Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber has been the favorite for most of the season to win the National League MVP award. —Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025

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