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

Estrada pitched twice in the NL Wild Card Series against his old Cubs friends, striking out two and allowing a run on two hits and two walks in 2⅔ innings. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026

That sure wasn’t the case last season when the Rockies got blown out in many games and were outscored 142-53 in the first inning, putting them in deep holes early. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2026

Gomber had a league average 100 ERA+ (according to Baseball-Reference) over 165 innings in 2024 before struggling more significantly last season. —Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 25 Jan. 2026

There were two outs in the fifth inning of Game 4 when Toronto manager John Schneider went to the mound intending to lift him. —Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

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