home plate

noun

: a 5-sided rubber slab at one corner of a baseball diamond at which a batter stands when batting and which must be touched by a base runner in order to score

Examples of home plate in a Sentence

The runner was tagged out at home plate.
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.
From 1995 to 2005, the MLB rule book defined strikes as the area over home plate from the midpoint between the shoulders and the top of the pants, down to the bottom of the knees. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026 The zone was moved from the front of home plate to the middle, where the results were much more in line with where the hitter stands — and how the strike zone is traditionally called. Neil Nakahodo, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026 That pitch was the second in the at-bat that the Orioles correctly overturned, with catcher Adley Rutschman also correctly identifying a pitch called incorrectly by home plate umpire Chris Segal. Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 30 Mar. 2026 Right-fielder Austin Slater threw out one would-be run at home plate. Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for home plate

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of home plate was in 1866

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Cite this Entry

“Home plate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/home%20plate. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

home plate

noun
: the base where a baseball batter stands and which a base runner must touch in order to score

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