pinch-hit

1 of 2

verb

ˈpinch-ˈhit 

ˌpinch-

pinch-hit; pinch-hitting; pinch-hits

intransitive verb

1

: to act or serve in place of another

2

: to bat in the place of another player especially when a hit is particularly needed

pinch hit

2 of 2

noun

: a hit made by a pinch hitter

Synonyms

Verb

• cover
• fill in
• stand in
• step in
• sub
• substitute
• take over

Examples of pinch-hit in a Sentence

Verb

assigned to pinch-hit as a math teacher for the remainder of the semester

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Who better to pinch-hit than former U.S. Senator from Minnesota, Vice President of the United States and 1984 Democratic nominee for president Walter Mondale? —John Phillips, Orange County Register, 27 Nov. 2024

Morse was battling an oblique injury that reduced him to pinch-hitting duties and Neshek had held right-handed hitters to a .176 average with two home runs all season. —Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024

Noun

In what turned out to be his final game in the majors, Henderson pinch hit against the Giants and scored a run after being hit with a pitch thrown by reliever Jason Christiansen. —Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 21 Dec. 2024

Manager Oli Marmol decided to pinch hit Brandon Crawford for Siani with two outs against closer Héctor Neris, citing Crawford’s 5-for-7 history off the right-hander. —Katie Woo, The Athletic, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from pinch hitter

First Known Use

Verb

1911, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1927, in the meaning defined above