hat trick

noun

1

: the scoring of three goals in one game (as of hockey or soccer) by a single player

2

: the dismissing (see dismiss sense 4) of three batsmen with three consecutive balls by a bowler in cricket

3

: a series of three victories, successes, or related accomplishments

… scored a hat trick when her three best steers corralled top honors …

—People

Did you know?

It may surprise some people to learn that the term "hat trick" as it relates to sports actually originated in British cricket. A bowler who retired three batsmen with three consecutive balls was entitled to a new hat at the expense of the club to commemorate this feat. Eventually, the phrase was applied to a single player scoring three goals in any goal sport and later to three victories or successes in sports as different as horse racing and golf. The phrase finally broadened to include a string of three important successes or achievements in any field.

Examples of hat trick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But before getting to all of that, or the hat trick of jobs that have made the Running Point actor hard to avoid in recent months, MacArthur first had to talk through some dog problems. —Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 29 May 2026

Archbishop Williams tried to come back in the fourth quarter, with Fleming’s hat trick goal coming with just over four minutes left in the game, after an assist from freshman Madison Markarian. —Zach McMahon, Boston Herald, 27 May 2026

Mikko Rantanen sent his friends and former teammates home in a blur — his third-period hat trick and assist to erase a 2-0 deficit happened in the final 13 minutes of a do-or-die Game 7. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 May 2026

The 39-year-old Suarez completed the hat trick with a left-footed shot from close range with an assist from German Berterame, who got two goals of his own in the first half. —Miami Herald, 25 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably from the former practice of rewarding the feat with the gift of a hat

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for hat trick

• broomstick
• dipstick
• homesick
• joystick
• lipstick
• nonstick
• pickwick
• picnic
• redbrick
• seasick
• sidekick
• slapstick

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