hat trick
noun
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
CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Central Texas girls soccer • Lake Travis standout Amelia Clark returned to the lineup and notched a three-goal hat trick as the Cavaliers defeated Bowie 5-1 to open district play.
—Butch Hart, Austin American Statesman, 26 Jan. 2026
Cole Caufield served notice that Team USA made a grave mistake leaving him off the Olympic team, but Morgan Geekie’s deuce trumped the brilliant Montreal Canadiens forward’s hat trick in the Bruins’ thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 win at TD Garden on Saturday night.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
Marcus Foligno scored three for his first career hat trick, and Vladimir Tarasenko added two goals to make the difference in a 6-3 victory in the first game of back-to-backs in Ontario.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hat trick
Cite this Entry
“Hat trick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hat%20trick. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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