at bat

American

[at bat] / ˈæt ˈbæt /

adverb

Baseball.

taking one's turn to bat in a game.

And now Sanchez is at bat with two runners in scoring position.

noun

Baseball.

a player’s turn to bat, officially recorded as such unless the batter walks, is hit by a pitch, makes a sacrifice hit, or is interfered with by the catcher.

In her debut appearance with the Rockford Peaches, she posted two hits in three at-bats.

at bat Idioms

Taking one's turn. For example, At this conference, with so many interruptions, it's hard to tell which speaker is at bat, or I was nervous while waiting to testify, but once at bat I felt better. This idiom, from baseball, was already being transferred to other enterprises by the 1880s. Also see on deck.

Etymology

Origin of at bat

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“You know, in his first game, in three times at bat, Jackie Robinson didn’t get a hit,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2025

Can he still generate the power needed to be productive at bat?

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2024

But when the White Sox had their turn at bat, Tim Anderson had different plans.

From NewsForKids.net • Apr. 12, 2024

If they’d hit a home run in their first at bat, the game would be a lot less exciting.

From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2024

When he played, my ear was glued to the radio, and no game ended without my nefiguring his average up through his last turn at bat.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023