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

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

Synonyms of strikeout

Verb

• collapse
• fail
• flop
• fold
• struggle
• miss
• fall flat
• fall short
• wash out
• bomb
• come to grief
• lay an egg

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

That led National League pitchers in strikeout-to-walk ratio. —Matt Schooley, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025

However, Gore is younger and has better strikeout numbers. —MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

Verb

With that being said, the Yankees are bringing back center fielder Trent Grisham, who struck out in 10 of his 32 playoff plate appearances but belted 34 home runs in the regular season. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025

After more than a decade at R&CPMK, Lauren Stillman is striking out on her own with Stillman+Co, opening offices simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1887, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1707, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for strikeout

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

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