as in substitutes
a person or thing that takes the place of another
the business owners brought in a pinch hitter until a permanent manager could be hired
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Recent Examples of pinch hitters
The Jays used four pinch hitters and defensive substitutions.
—
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
The club went silently in the bottom of the ninth, with pinch hitters Carlos Narvaez, Rob Refsnyder and Nick Sogard going down 1-2-3.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
There’s also pressure on the bench because teammates, like pinch hitters, never know when they may be subbed in.
—Candace Oehler, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
The club went silently in the bottom of the ninth, with pinch hitters Carlos Narvaez, Rob Refsnyder and Nick Sogard going down 1-2-3.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
There’s also pressure on the bench because teammates, like pinch hitters, never know when they may be subbed in.
—Candace Oehler, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinch hitters
Noun
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Milk or milk substitutes commonly used in overnight oats also contribute nutrients like calcium and vitamin D, which support bone health, muscle function and nerve signaling.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
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Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering what’s changing in how fashion is made, scaled or engineered from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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After the Maduro regime barred Machado, both academic Corina Yoris and former presidential candidate Manuel Rosales were considered as possible replacements.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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The replacements are always luxury.—
Roberta Brandes Gratz,
New York Daily News,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Swapping out some seals and other work seems to have fixed these issues, according to officials who say that the latest countdown dress rehearsal went smoothly, despite glitches such as a loss of ground communications in the Launch Control Center that forced workers to temporarily use backups.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
20 Feb. 2026
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Fixing those backups is expensive, and sometimes clogging can cause sewage overflows into streets, yards, rivers and lakes.—
Julia James,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pinch hitters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinch%20hitters. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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