pinch hitter

noun

Synonyms of pinch hitternext
: 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.
Ohtani was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of Thursday night’s 8-6 win at Pittsburgh. ABC News, 12 June 2026 The Colorado Rockies mobbed pinch hitter Sterlin Thompson near first base to celebrate handing the Cubs a 3-2 walk-off loss in the bottom of the ninth inning yesterday. Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026 Harris came up as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and the Braves trailing 2-0. CBS News, 7 June 2026 Koeninger retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth and got the first two outs of the seventh before walking pinch hitter Brady Skutta and running into his pitch count. Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026 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 Jun. 2026.

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster