at bat

American  

[at bat] / ˈæt ˈbæt /

adverb

Baseball.

1. taking one's turn to bat in a game.

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

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noun

Baseball.

1. 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  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of at bat

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at bat

The Bruins resumed scoring in the sixth inning, with bases loaded and Grant at bat again.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

Then came her most important at bat of the season.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2025

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

But I didn’t care anymore because it was April, and it was Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, and the California Angels were out in the field, and the Yankees were up at bat.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt