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

Tigers starter Casey Mize (5-1) gave up four runs and seven hits in seven innings, including Logan O’Hoppe’s solo homer in the second and Jorge Soler’s two-run shot in the third. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025

Ryder Simon had 6 strikeouts and just 2 hits given up in 7.1 innings pitched for the Wildcats, while Miles Gotlib had 3 strikeouts in the final 1.2 innings to get the win in relief. —Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 May 2025

In the ninth inning of the first game of two on Wednesday, Alexis Díaz collapsed with the Cincinnati Reds trailing by just one run. —Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

Trout took his spot in the field the next inning, but Jo Adell replaced Trout before his next at-bat. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 1 May 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