strike·out
ˈstrīk-ˌau̇t 
: an out in baseball resulting from a batter's being charged with three strikes
struck out; struck out also stricken out; striking out; strikes out
1
: to enter upon a course of action
struck out on her own after graduating
2
: to set out vigorously
3
: to make an out in baseball by a strikeout
4
: to finish bowling a string with consecutive strikes
specifically
: to bowl three strikes in the last frame
5
US, informal
: fail sense 2c
6
: to try to hit suddenly
struck out wildly with his arms
—often used with atstruck out at the officers
7
: to remove (something) from a document
struck out a paragraph
of a baseball pitcher
: to retire (someone) by a strikeout
Examples of strikeout in a Sentence
Verb
their joint venture in Las Vegas struck out, and they hurriedly dissolved the partnership
struck out all references to indecent matters
Recent Examples on the Web
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
His heater has been his most used pitch, but don’t be surprised if the Mets cut back on that in an effort to create even more swing and miss for a hurler who had the ninth-highest strikeout rate among all starters last season.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
After a group of four hikers became lost Saturday in a remote, mountainous region of Riverside County, a fellow hiker in their group — fearing for their safety — struck out on his own to search for them, authorities said.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strikeout
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Noun
His 2,075 strikeouts rank 44th all-time.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
His heater has been his most used pitch, but don’t be surprised if the Mets cut back on that in an effort to create even more swing and miss for a hurler who had the ninth-highest strikeout rate among all starters last season.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
After six months of wall-to-wall campaigning, the Academy Awards nominations are finally upon us, and scores of Hollywood’s biggest stars struck out in the ninth inning.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
After a group of four hikers became lost Saturday in a remote, mountainous region of Riverside County, a fellow hiker in their group — fearing for their safety — struck out on his own to search for them, authorities said.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strikeout
Cite this Entry
“Strikeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strikeout. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
strikeout
1 of 2 noun
strike·out
ˈstrī-ˌkau̇t
: an out in baseball resulting from a batter's being charged with three strikes
strike out
2 of 2 verb(ˈ)strī-ˈkau̇t
1
: to enter upon a course of action
struck out on my own after graduation
2
: to make an out or cause to make an out in baseball by a strikeout
the shortstop struck out
the pitcher struck him out with a curve
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