strikeout

1 of 2

noun

strike·​out ˈstrīk-ˌau̇t 

: an out in baseball resulting from a batter's being charged with three strikes

strike out

2 of 2

verb

struck out; struck out also stricken out; striking out; strikes out

intransitive verb

1

: to enter upon a course of action

2

: to set out vigorously

3

: to make an out in baseball by a strikeout

4

: to finish bowling a string with consecutive strikes

specifically : to bowl three strikes in the last frame

5

: fail sense 2c

transitive verb

of a baseball pitcher : to retire (someone) by a strikeout

Synonyms

Verb

• bomb
• collapse
• crater
• fail
• flame out
• flop
• flunk
• fold
• founder
• miss
• tank
• wash out

Examples of strikeout in a Sentence

Verb

their joint venture in Las Vegas struck out, and they hurriedly dissolved the partnership

struck out all references to indecent matters

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The right-handed Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 151.2 innings this season. —Peter Sblendorio, Hartford Courant, 22 Nov. 2024

Skubal’s dominant season included an 18-4 record, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts over 192 innings. —Elissa Robinson, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024

Verb

Sasaki has struck out an average of 11.4 hitters per nine innings, while walking two per nine. —Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Sale led the majors in ERA and struck out an NL-best 225 batters in 177.2 innings pitched. —Wayne Sterling, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1887, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1707, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

strikeout

1 of 2 noun

strike·​out ˈstrī-ˌkau̇t 

: an out in baseball resulting from a batter's being charged with three strikes

strike out

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)strī-ˈkau̇t

1

: to enter upon a course of action

struck out on my own after graduation

2

: to make an out or cause to make an out in baseball by a strikeout

the shortstop struck out

the pitcher struck him out with a curve