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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of pinch hitters
Agnifilo, Kaplan and Geragos are joining Weinstein’s team as pinch hitters ahead of his next appearance in Manhattan Supreme Court on March 4, with a trial date still to be set for the outstanding third-degree rape charge concerning an alleged assault on aspiring actor Jessica Mann in 2013.
—
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
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
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinch hitters
Noun
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Technological substitutes for firsthand encounters with human beings who are different from us do not exist.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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The data on the popularity of meat substitutes aren’t especially forgiving, either.—
Andrew Zaleski,
The Atlantic,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 2012, the NFL was caught off guard, forced to pluck unqualified replacements, some of whom were fanboys of specific teams and another of whom was a competitor in the World Series of Poker.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
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Gash and Brin, who are Highland Park residents, disclosed their decisions not to seek reelection to lead their parties on Wednesday, giving the respective precinct committeepersons time to evaluate potential replacements before their April conventions.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Not one receiver on the Miami Dolphins depth chart has established anything worth bragging about throughout their professional careers, and Miami’s two frontline wideouts — Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert — are both career backups.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
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That led Smith to throw to a collection of rookies, journeymen and backups.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pinch hitters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinch%20hitters. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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