line drive

noun

: a batted baseball hit in a nearly straight line usually not far above the ground

Examples of line drive in a Sentence

He hit a hard line drive to the shortstop.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jake Rogers hit a line drive to short stop – in front of Spencer Torkelson. Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 6 Oct. 2025 Nor can Cora press a button that’ll help his outfielders — such as, oh, Jarren Duran — get a better read and take a better route to a line drive with two out and the tying run on second. Steve Buckley, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 Two batters later, Kemp belted a two-run shot into the left-center field seats and then Sosa’s line drive over the wall in left made it 11-1. Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025 Starting for the first time in three weeks and for the first time in left field in nearly two months, Johnson laid out to catch a sinking, tailing line drive by Christian Yelich for the first out of the ninth inning. Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for line drive

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of line drive was in 1903

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Line drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/line%20drive. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

line drive

noun
: a batted baseball hit not far above the ground in a nearly straight line

More from Merriam-Webster on line drive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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