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
Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2024
Victorious in their previous two season openers, the San Diego Wave sought the hat trick Saturday night before an announced crowd of 32,066 at Snapdragon Stadium as the National Women’s Soccer League franchise began its defense of its 2023 regular-season title.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
He's tied for fourth-most hat tricks in the league since getting his first one on March 16, 2018, with the San Jose Sharks.
—Joe Reedy, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024
Lewis Morgan, the speedy, Scottish former Inter Miami winger, punished his former team with a hat trick.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2024
With a hat trick of performances from Peter Sellers, the film satirizes the American military-industrial complex and Cold War paranoia while finding a few laughs in the face of nuclear holocaust.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024
Not surprisingly, all five of Cheechoo’s hat tricks that season came after the Sharks acquired Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins on Nov. 30, 2005.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024
Duke’s Katie DeSimone had a hat trick as well, scoring twice during the 6-0 run.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2024
Brighton is back there again after making the semifinals last year, after Pedro netted his first hat trick for the club in a 5-2 win over fellow English Premier League team Sheffield United.
—Mattias Karen, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hat trick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hat trick
Cite this Entry
“Hat trick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hat%20trick. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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