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

The 26-year-old Alfonzo batted ninth and caught the first seven innings in the Dodgers’ 5-2 loss to the San Diego Padres, going 0 for 2 before being removed for a pinch hitter. — Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2026

Conine entered the game as a pinch hitter and smashed a changeup from Victor Vodnik (2-3) that went an estimated distance of 433 feet to send the Marlins on their way to a seventh straight win over Colorado. — ABC News, 29 June 2026

Schwarber was able to work a walk, and then Derek Hill, another pinch hitter, came up and smacked a home run that gave Philadelphia the lead in a win over the Nationals. — Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 24 June 2026

O’Brien then struck out pinch hitter John Rave, who was batting for Nick Loftin, and induced a groundout from left fielder Isaac Collins to end the game. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 June 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