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earned run

American  
[urnd ruhn] / ˈɜrnd ˈrʌn /

noun

Baseball.

  1. a run yielded by and charged to a pitcher in which no error, interference, or other misplay by any player was involved. ER

Etymology

Origin of earned run

An Americanism first recorded in 1875–80

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.

Ohtani has now gone 28 ⅔ innings without allowing an earned run, dating back to last season.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

With the Giants last season he went 4-11 with a 3.85 earned run average with 137 strikeouts in 152 innings pitched.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

He didn’t allow an earned run that day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

He's walked three in 42 1/3 innings with 88 strikeouts and given up one earned run and is 8-0.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2025

An earned run shall be scored every time the player reaches the home base unaided by errors before chances have been offered to retire the side.

From Spalding's Baseball Guide and Official League Book for 1889 by Chadwick, Henry

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.