pinch hitter

noun

: one that pinch-hits

Synonyms of pinch hitter

• replacement
• substitute
• backup

Examples of pinch hitter in a Sentence

the business owners brought in a pinch hitter until a permanent manager could be hired

Recent Examples on the Web

Andrew Vaughn flied out and pinch hitter Gary Sanchez walked, taking six straight pitches. — Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026

Managers call upon pinch hitters to substitute for batters and to increase the chances of getting a hit. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 4 Oct. 2026

Bryson Stott lined out to second and pinch hitter Bryan De La Cruz lined out to shortstop. — ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026

Royals skipper Matt Quatraro countered with Carter Jensen, who entered as a pinch hitter. — Kansas City Star, 13 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pinch hitter

• embitter
• emitter
• obiter
• outfitter
• remitter
• submitter
• transmitter
• babysitter
• bitter
• critter
• fitter
• fritter

Kids Definition

pinch hitter

noun

1

: a baseball player sent in to bat for another especially when a hit is needed

2

: a person called upon to do another's work in an emergency

pinch-hit

(ˈ)pinch-ˈhit

verb