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.
Ted Williams, April 20, 1939: Teddy Ballgame struck out his first time at bat off future Hall of Famer Red Ruffing at Yankee Stadium. Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025 And with a must-see at bat, Giancarlo Stanton, out indefinitely, the ratings could sink deeper. Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2025 The highlight of the afternoon was Rafael Devers, who hit a towering three-run home run to straightaway center field in his third at bat against starter Walker Buehler. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025 Between this being Underwood’s first time at bat, plus Tennet performing a song by fellow judge Lionel Richie, this audition could have gone south really quickly — but ABC wasn’t about to kick off the new season with a flop. Andy Swift, TVLine, 2 Mar. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“At bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20bat. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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