ˈpinch-ˈhit 
ˌpinch-
pinch-hit; pinch-hitting; pinch-hits
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
: a hit made by a pinch hitter
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
Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025
Instead, Correa hopes he could be used for a late pinch-hitting appearance and aims to play in Sunday’s pre-All-Star break finale.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 12 July 2025
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 9 July 2025
John Rave had pinch hit for shortstop Maikel Garcia in the bottom of the eighth inning, so Rave took over in left field.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 June 2025
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Verb
On top of his inept pitching decisions, Roberts actually sought to have the weak-hitting Michael Conforto pinch-hit on Saturday.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025
Instead, Correa hopes he could be used for a late pinch-hitting appearance and aims to play in Sunday’s pre-All-Star break finale.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 12 July 2025
Noun
The Jays also have the fourth-most pinch hit at-bats in the American League, finding ways to utilize hot hitters or niche matchups when players aren’t involved in the starting lineup.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 9 July 2025
John Rave had pinch hit for shortstop Maikel Garcia in the bottom of the eighth inning, so Rave took over in left field.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pinch-hit
Cite this Entry
“Pinch-hit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinch-hit. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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