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
Aroldis Chapman issued a pair of walks to pinch hitters Max Schuemann and Amed Rosario in the ninth before securing his 13th save.
—
CBS News,
5 June 2026
Each hit a home run, making this the first time two American League pinch hitters hit home runs in the same game.
—
Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Both entered the game as pinch hitters.
—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
The club has five starting-caliber outfielders and can only play four at a time, and since four of those outfielders also bat left-handed, the Red Sox can’t even set up a platoon or effectively deploy pinch hitters late in game.
—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
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.
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Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
22 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
CBS News,
5 June 2026
Each hit a home run, making this the first time two American League pinch hitters hit home runs in the same game.
—
Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Both entered the game as pinch hitters.
—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
The club has five starting-caliber outfielders and can only play four at a time, and since four of those outfielders also bat left-handed, the Red Sox can’t even set up a platoon or effectively deploy pinch hitters late in game.
—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
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
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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On matchdays, the first sittings begin around five hours before kick-off, with the last one taking place around three hours before, usually taken by the substitutes who prefer to eat later.
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Senegal led the way with four goals from substitutes while Switzerland, Germany and Canada each had three goals off the bench.
Noun
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In cases of cobalt toxicity linked to hip replacements, the symptoms usually develop over many months, not weeks, as in the woman’s case.
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Ukraine's attacks damaged specialized equipment that is often sourced abroad, making repairs time-consuming and expensive as workarounds or replacements are sought by evading sanctions.
Noun
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Not to lose your messages and media, set up your Signal Backup (Settings -> Backups -> Enable backups -> View recovery key -> Copy to clipboard -> Next -> Enter the recovery key -> Next -> Continue -> Choose your backup plan).
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Still, the backups for Argentina are probably better than the best players for Jordan.
Cite this Entry
“Pinch hitters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinch%20hitters. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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