double play

American

[duhb-uhl play] / ˈdʌb əl ˈpleɪ /

noun

Baseball.

a play of continuous fielding action in which two putouts are made. DP

double play British

noun

baseball a play in which two runners are put out

"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

Etymology

Origin of double play

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

double play

But Dreyer eventually got out of the inning with a double play started by Betts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

When Tommy Edman grounded into a double play to end the sixth inning, it was their third with the bases loaded this month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

The Dodgers manufactured another run the next inning with a pair of singles, an error by Mets first baseman Jared Young, and a run-scoring double play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Santana eventually got Caballero to ground into a double play, but the stall tactics irked him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Not a double play combination like the famous Chicago Cubs’ Tinker to Evers to Chance.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023