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

The Marlins scored five times in the fourth inning, then six more times in the fifth off Braves reliever Aaron Bummer en route to a 12-0 win at loanDepot Park. —Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 19 May 2026

The only blemish on Yamamoto’s seven-inning night was designated hitter Miguel Andujar’s solo home run in the first inning, one of only three hits. —Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026

Roki Sasaki went seven innings, his longest outing of the year, and gave up one extra-base hit (a Mike Trout double in the first) and no walks while striking out eight. —Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 18 May 2026

Machado’s double in the sixth inning was his first extra-base hit in seven games. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026

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