as in replacement
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 hitter
Pierce gave up a single to New Braunfels senior catcher Ryland Miller, who went 3 for 3 on the night after coming in as a pinch hitter, but the freshman slammed the door on the Unicorns with two strikeouts to earn the save.
—
Eric Moreno, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Apr. 2026
Witt, as the youngest member of Team USA at the 2023 WBC, appeared in only five games — three as a pinch-runner, one as a pinch hitter, one as a defensive replacement.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Panama’s Jonathan Araúz exchanged shouts and pushes with manager José Mayorga when the pinch hitter returned to the dugout after grounding out leading off the ninth.
—Dallas Morning News, 10 Mar. 2026
The Cubs clearly believe in Ballesteros’ bat to the point of carrying him on their postseason rosters last year and becoming Counsell’s go-to lefty pinch hitter in the playoffs.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pinch hitter
Eric Moreno, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Apr. 2026
Witt, as the youngest member of Team USA at the 2023 WBC, appeared in only five games — three as a pinch-runner, one as a pinch hitter, one as a defensive replacement.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Panama’s Jonathan Araúz exchanged shouts and pushes with manager José Mayorga when the pinch hitter returned to the dugout after grounding out leading off the ninth.
—Dallas Morning News, 10 Mar. 2026
The Cubs clearly believe in Ballesteros’ bat to the point of carrying him on their postseason rosters last year and becoming Counsell’s go-to lefty pinch hitter in the playoffs.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pinch hitter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinch hitter
Noun
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Instead, as Quick reported, Dundon has already been canvassing the basketball world for Splitter’s possible replacement while clearly not caring about the awful optics.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The replacement was made possible by the generous donation of an anonymous person, done in honor of his history-loving deceased wife.—
Janet Kusterer,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Anouk Denton The versatile 22-year-old defender came on as a late substitute in England’s 2-0 win over Ghana in December, shortly before moving from West Ham United to Bay FC.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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So, in Swalwell’s case, the Democratic Party alone wouldn’t be entitled to select his substitute — unless the law were changed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Heady and agile, Simpson recalls former NFL quarterback Brian Hoyer, who started for eight NFL franchises but was mostly a very good backup.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Quarterback Matthew Stafford is returning after a league MVP season in 2025, so Simpson will slide in as his backup with Jimmy Garoppolo still considering retirement.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pinch hitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinch%20hitter. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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