pinch hitter

noun

: one that pinch-hits

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 Albritton grounded out as a pinch hitter in the fifth. Scott Allen, Washington Post, 14 July 2024 He was kept on the bench when the Mets went to other pinch hitters in a Game 7 loss at Oakland. David K. Li, NBC News, 19 June 2024 After the two hits, the next 17 Royals were retired until pinch hitter Nelson Velazquez punched a single through the left side with one out in the ninth. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 22 June 2024 North Carolina pinch hitter Jackson Van De Brake, who came into the tournament batting .194, led off by slicing a double down the right field line. Gene Schinzel, Washington Post, 15 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for pinch hitter 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pinch hitter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pinch hitter was in 1896

Dictionary Entries Near pinch hitter

Cite this Entry

“Pinch hitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinch%20hitter. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on pinch hitter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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