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
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
Hubert got two innings of work, giving up two runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 16 Feb. 2026
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
On the precipice of the sixth WBC, the tournament has a history full of iconic moments, including the final pitch of the 2023 edition that featured Shohei Ohtani striking out his then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to seal Japan’s third WBC title.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strikeout
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Noun
In an alternate universe, Royals fans might be debating whether Yordano Ventura would reach 2,000 strikeouts in the upcoming season.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
Hubert got two innings of work, giving up two runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 16 Feb. 2026
Verb
Luke Szymanski struck out five with no walks in five innings.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
On the precipice of the sixth WBC, the tournament has a history full of iconic moments, including the final pitch of the 2023 edition that featured Shohei Ohtani striking out his then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to seal Japan’s third WBC title.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 19 Feb. 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 21 Feb. 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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