bunt

[ buhnt ]

See synonyms for bunt on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

Baseball. to bat (a pitched ball) very gently so that it rolls into the infield close to home plate, usually by holding the bat loosely in hands spread apart and allowing the ball to bounce off it.
(of a goat or calf) to push with the horns or head; butt.

verb (used without object)

Baseball. to bunt a ball.
to push (something) with the horns or head.

noun

Baseball.
- the act of bunting.
- a bunted ball.
a push with the head or horns; butt.

Origin of bunt

First recorded in 1760–70; originally British dialect (central and south England): “to push, strike”; origin uncertain

Other words from bunt

bunter, noun

Other definitions for bunt (2 of 3)

bunt²

[ buhnt ]

noun

Nautical. the middle part of a square sail.
the bagging part of a fishing net or bagging middle area of various cloth objects.

Origin of bunt

First recorded in 1575–85; origin uncertain

Other definitions for bunt (3 of 3)

bunt³

[ buhnt ]

nounPlant Pathology.

a smut disease of wheat in which the kernels are replaced by the black, foul-smelling spores of fungi of the genus Tilletia.

Origin of bunt

First recorded in 1595–1605; origin uncertain

Also called stinking smut.

Other words from bunt

bunted, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bunt in a sentence

One by one the batters faced the plate, swung valiantly or wildly at balls and essayed bunts.
The Young Pitcher | Zane Grey
The old varsity had made six runs on nothing but deliberate bunts and daring dashes around the bases.
The Young Pitcher | Zane Grey
The Giants added one more run in their half of the fourth by a clever combination of bunts and singles.
Baseball Joe, Captain of the Team | Lester Chadwick
Joe knew that Rance was weak on fielding bunts, and he directed his men to play on that weakness.
Baseball Joe, Captain of the Team | Lester Chadwick
Many of these bunts can be fielded either by the pitcher or, if they drop dead in front of the home-plate, by the catcher.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for bunt (1 of 3)

bunt¹

/ (bʌnt) /

verb

(of an animal) to butt (something) with the head or horns
to cause (an aircraft) to fly in part of an inverted loop or (of an aircraft) to fly in such a loop

US and Canadian (in baseball) to hit (a pitched ball) very gently

noun

the act or an instance of bunting

Origin of bunt

C19: perhaps nasalized variant of butt ³

British Dictionary definitions for bunt (2 of 3)

bunt²

/ (bʌnt) /

noun

nautical the baggy centre of a fishing net or other piece of fabric, such as a square sail

Origin of bunt

C16: perhaps from Middle Low German bunt bundle

British Dictionary definitions for bunt (3 of 3)

bunt³

/ (bʌnt) /

noun

a disease of cereal plants caused by smut fungi (genus Tilletia)

Origin of bunt

C17: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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