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
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.
Ronny Mauricio doubled to left field, and pinch hitter Jeff McNeil tripled off the center field wall with Kyle Isbel just missing the grab. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2025 The Marlins mounted their biggest threat in the seventh against Graham Ashcraft, who allowed a single and a pair of walks before inducing pinch hitter Liam Hicks to ground into an inning-ending double play. Miami Herald, 11 July 2025 Mike Trout drew a leadoff walk and Jo Adell later singled with two outs to put two men on, but Crochet was able to finish his outing by forcing pinch hitter Travis d’Arnaud to pop out, preserving the 1-0 Red Sox lead. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 June 2025 Giants pinch hitters entered the day with a decent record of production: 10 for 40 with two home runs and a .250 average that ranked well above the league average of .202. Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for pinch hitter

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pinch hitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinch%20hitter. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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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