leadoff

[ leed-awf, -of ]

noun

1. an act that starts something; start; beginning.
2. Baseball. the player who is first in the batting order or who is first to bat for a team in an inning.

Word History and Origins

Origin of leadoff¹

First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase lead off

Example Sentences

I batted leadoff all through the minor leagues until I got to the big leagues and got stronger.

From Washington Post

Linquist, the Colonials’ catcher and leadoff hitter, scored the winning run in the ninth inning of Saturday’s first game against Dayton to force a winner-take-all showdown.

From Washington Post

Corbin surrendered a leadoff double in the first to Andrew McCutchen, who came around to score on a double-steal.

From Washington Post

He hit leadoff batter Tommy Edman with a fastball, yielded an infield single and walked Paul DeJong to put three on in the first, when the temperature was a misleading 53 degrees.

From Washington Post

The key then was whether Robles could be an effective leadoff hitter.

From Washington Post