strikeout

1 of 2

noun

strike·​out ˈstrīk-ˌau̇t How to pronounce strikeout (audio)
: an out in baseball resulting from a batter's being charged with three strikes

strike out

2 of 2

verb

struck out; struck out also stricken out; striking out; strikes out

intransitive verb

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 at
struck out at the officers
7
: to remove (something) from a document
struck out a paragraph

transitive verb

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
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.
Noun
Colleran dominated High-A batters with a 25% strikeout rate and continued to thrive in the Arizona Fall League. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026 Anthony finished 1 for 3 with the homer and a walk, and Whitlock slammed the door in the top of the ninth, pitching a scoreless inning with one hit and two strikeouts. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
Tyler Unter struck out six in five shutout innings. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026 Halloran struck out swinging before Schuck blooped a single to right field to drive in two more runs. Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for strikeout

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1887, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1707, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of strikeout was in 1707

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Strikeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strikeout. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

strikeout

1 of 2 noun
strike·​out ˈstrī-ˌkau̇t How to pronounce strikeout (audio)
: 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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