inning

noun

in·​ning ˈi-niŋ 

1

a

: a division of a baseball game consisting of a turn at bat for each team

also : a baseball team's turn at bat ending with the third out

b

innings ˈi-niŋz  plural in form but singular or plural in construction : a division of a cricket match

c

: a player's turn (as in horseshoes, pool, or croquet)

2

: a chance or opportunity for action or accomplishment

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

that momentous innings which was to project him into world politics

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

Examples of inning in a Sentence

She hit a double in the fourth inning.

Recent Examples on the Web

But on Monday, Soroka went just two innings, giving up one run on one hit and walking one while striking out three in 31 pitches. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

Sears, who took 49 pitches to get through those two innings, began the third inning more economically. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after scoring in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 28, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. —Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025

Since his first full professional season in 2022, he’s thrown no fewer than 119 innings, and threw 124 or more in Double-A and Triple-A in each of his last two seasons. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

in entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1735, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing inning

• the seventh-inning stretch

Rhymes for inning

• binning
• dinning
• ginning
• grinning
• pinning
• sinning
• skinning
• spinning
• thinning
• tinning
• twinning
• winning

Kids Definition

inning

noun

in·​ning ˈin-iŋ 

: a division of a baseball game consisting of a turn at bat for each team

also : a baseball team's turn at bat