base on balls
noun phrase
: an advance to first base awarded a baseball player who during a turn at bat takes four pitches that are balls : walk entry 2 sense 6
Examples of base on balls in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This was the backdrop when Williams, hitting third behind Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky, ahead of Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr, stepped in against Spahn in the first inning and used his legendary eye to work a base on balls.
—
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 Apr. 2024
In the scorebook, a walk is denoted by the letters 'BB,' which stands for base on balls.
—USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024
Toeing the rubber at Camden Yards for the first time since April 13, 2022, Means allowed the first three batters of the frame to reach base on balls hit softer than 75 mph, a string of bad luck that can often spiral into more misfortune.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
The first time was intentional, his major league-leading 16th intentional base on balls this season.
—Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023
De La Cruz's base on balls in the 1st loaded the bases.
—Dave Clark, The Enquirer, 7 June 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 Apr. 2024
In the scorebook, a walk is denoted by the letters 'BB,' which stands for base on balls.
—USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024
Toeing the rubber at Camden Yards for the first time since April 13, 2022, Means allowed the first three batters of the frame to reach base on balls hit softer than 75 mph, a string of bad luck that can often spiral into more misfortune.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
The first time was intentional, his major league-leading 16th intentional base on balls this season.
—Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023
De La Cruz's base on balls in the 1st loaded the bases.
—Dave Clark, The Enquirer, 7 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Base on balls.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/base%20on%20balls. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share