inning

noun

in·​ning ˈi-niŋ 

1

a

: a division of a baseball game consisting of a turn at bat for each team

also : a baseball team's turn at bat ending with the third out

b

innings ˈi-niŋz  plural in form but singular or plural in construction : a division of a cricket match

c

: a player's turn (as in horseshoes, pool, or croquet)

2

: a chance or opportunity for action or accomplishment

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

that momentous innings which was to project him into world politics

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

Examples of inning in a Sentence

She hit a double in the fourth inning.

Recent Examples on the Web

In his first term as president, Trump was booed at Washington’s Nationals Park when shown on the video board during the third inning of Game 5 of the 2019 World Series between the Nationals and Houston Astros. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025

Houston scored first in the third, but the Yankees plated three in the bottom of that same inning, with George Lombard Jr. and Ben Rice hitting homers. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025

The contract included a signing bonus of $1 million and a player option after the 2025 season. QUICK HITTERS – Right-hander Blade Tidwell returned from Port Charlotte on Sunday to Port St. Lucie, where the Mets pitchers congratulated him on his immaculate inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2025

Results in close games and extra innings are sometimes subject to the vagaries of luck. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

in entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1735, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing inning

• the seventh-inning stretch

Rhymes for inning

• binning
• dinning
• ginning
• grinning
• pinning
• sinning
• skinning
• spinning
• thinning
• tinning
• twinning
• winning

Kids Definition

inning

noun

in·​ning ˈin-iŋ 

: a division of a baseball game consisting of a turn at bat for each team

also : a baseball team's turn at bat