strikeout

1 of 2

noun

strike·​out ˈstrīk-ˌau̇t 

: 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

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

: fail sense 2c

transitive verb

of a baseball pitcher : to retire (someone) by a strikeout

Synonyms

Verb

• bomb
• collapse
• crater
• fail
• flame out
• flop
• flunk
• fold
• founder
• miss
• tank
• wash out

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

Noun

Strasburg had seven starts prior to the July 10, 2010, All-Star Game, winning three, logging a 1.91 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 16 July 2024

The 21-year-old finished the season with a 2.70 ERA and 191 strikeouts – the most in NCAA Division I this season. —Brad Lendon, CNN, 15 July 2024

Verb

Garcia eventually struck out Willy Adames to keep it a two-run game. —Andrew Golden, Washington Post, 13 July 2024

Bryan Abreu struck out the side in the seventh and stranded Marlins on second and third. —Miami Herald, 12 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1887, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1707, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids 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