1
: the player position in baseball for defending the infield area on the third-base side of second base
2
: the player stationed in the shortstop position

Examples of shortstop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Despite the shortstop’s inadvertent trespassing into Bush’s headspace, the president sidestepped the ceremonial mark at the front of the mound and toed the rubber like a pro. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Nico Hoerner’s big-league experience at shortstop helps, but the lack of familiarity with his double-play partner, whether Pedro Ramírez or Matt Shaw at second base, has been apparent. Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 Can the Philadelphia shortstop pull it together for an October run? Andy McCullough, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 The Reds’ shortstop continued to show his talent in the third. Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shortstop

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shortstop was in 1857

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Cite this Entry

“Shortstop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortstop. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

: the baseball infielder whose position is between second and third base

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