at bat

noun

plural at bats
baseball
: a turn at batting
had three hits in five at bats

Note: For the purposes of calculating a player's batting average and slugging percentage, an official at bat is charged for each turn at batting except when the player walks, hits a sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly, is hit by a pitched ball, or is interfered with by the catcher.

Examples of at bat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Fans watching Shohei Ohtani at bat during an early-morning watch party for Game 4 of the World Series in his hometown of Oshu on Wednesday. Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024 Pete Rose at bat for the hit that would break Ty Cobb's record on Sept. 11, 1985. CBS News, 30 Sep. 2024 Those three games, those nine at bats, were the sum total of Edman’s experience batting clean-up in the major leagues. Dan Freedman, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Amira Rodriguez came in for the final at bat, forcing the ground out that eventually resulted in the run down. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for at bat 

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of at bat was in 1908

Dictionary Entries Near at bat

Cite this Entry

“At bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20bat. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!