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• hat trick
  hat trick

  noun

  the knocking off by one bowler of three wickets with three successive pitches.
• hat-trick
  hat-trick

  noun

  cricket the achievement of a bowler in taking three wickets with three successive balls

hat trick

American  

[hat trik] / ˈhæt ˌtrɪk /

noun

1. Cricket. the knocking off by one bowler of three wickets with three successive pitches.

2. Ice Hockey, Soccer. three goals scored by one player in one game.

   He was the only athlete in our school’s history to achieve a hat trick in both hockey and soccer.

3. Baseball. three like feats executed by one player in one game, especially three home runs.

   In last night’s game, Marley performed a most unusual hat trick, with his three unassisted double plays.

4. a series of three related successes or accomplishments, especially when achieved one after the other and in close proximity.

   Once again, Kay won the blue ribbons for dill pickles, bread-and-butter pickles, and pickled beets—her annual pickle hat trick!

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hat-trick British  

noun

1. cricket the achievement of a bowler in taking three wickets with three successive balls

2. any achievement of three points, victories, awards, etc within a given period, esp three goals scored by the same player in a soccer match

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hat trick Cultural  

1. In some sports, such as ice hockey, three goals by one player in a single game: “Lemieux scores for the third time tonight; he finally has the hat trick he's been looking for all season.”

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hat trick Idioms  

1. An extremely clever or adroit maneuver, as in It looked as though the party was going to achieve a hat trick in this election. The term originated in cricket, where it refers to three wickets taken by a bowler in three consecutive balls, traditionally rewarded with the presentation of a hat. It later was transferred to ice hockey, soccer, and baseball, where it denotes three consecutive successes (goals, hits), and then to more general use.

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Discover More

The phrase originally referred to a hat traditionally given to a cricket player who scored three wickets, or goals.

By extension, a hat trick is an outstanding performance by an individual, or a particularly clever or adroit maneuver: “She pulled off a hat trick with her presentation to the committee.”

Etymology

Origin of hat trick

First recorded in 1865–70; so called because formerly such a cricket bowler was rewarded with a hat

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hat trick hat-trick

The buzz: Argentina opened its World Cup title defense with a 3-0 win over Algeria on a hat trick from Lionel Messi.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026

At this point, it’s quite hard to find things he hasn’t done, but a Cup hat trick remained.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

Its best player, captain Kylian Mbappé, holds the tournament record with four goals in World Cup finals, including a hat trick in Qatar four years ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

A win for Album of the Year would complete her hat trick of top awards.

From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026

“Trip, what’s this I hear about a hat trick in yesterday’s game?”

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Lionel Messi scoring a hat-trick in his first game at this World Cup showed that he was not done and was going to try to push Argentina to another tournament win.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Messi could have overtaken the Real Madrid forward with a hat-trick in the World Cup final on Sunday.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Bukayo Saka scores a hat-trick as England beat France 6-4 in a thriller to record their best men's World Cup finish since 1966.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Fontaine scored a hat-trick in a remarkable 7-3 victory over Paraguay in France's Group Two opener, and that lit the blue touch-paper.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

The "double hat-trick" was six consecutive wickets, the last six, all clean bowled.

From The Wonder by Beresford, J. D. (John Davys)