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

Yamamoto was also highly efficient with the Dodgers opting for a bullpen game in Sunday’s nightcap, tallying 102 pitches, as well as zero walks and seven strikeouts. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026

The gambit ended up paying off as Ferrer got Devers to flail at an outside slider to record the inning-ending strikeout. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 19 July 2026

Verb

James had spent 17 years working for two esteemed galleries—Anthony D’Offay, in London and Paula Cooper in New York—before striking out on his own, with his wife as partner. — Sarah Douglas, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026

Cease struck out Kyle Schwarber, Soto and CJ Abrams around a walk in the first inning. — Ronald Blum, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

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