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

Starting pitcher Brayan Bello will take the ball for the Dominican Republic and designated hitter Masataka Yoshida will be on Japan's roster. —Matt Schooley, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026

Japan is in Czech Republic’s pool for the tournament, setting up the possibility of Vank facing off against Dodgers superstar designated hitter Shohei Ohtani when the two teams play on March 10 at the Tokyo Dome. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 2 Mar. 2026

The latest player to be banged up is designated hitter Wesley Jordan, who was visibly limping during Saturday's game before sitting out Sunday's series finale. —Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026

Some previous Team Israel players have forgone affiliation this year — most notably Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson. —Jacob Gurvis, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 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