force play

American

[fawrs play] / ˈfɔrs ˌpleɪ /

noun

Baseball.

a defensive play in which the fielder holding the ball can make a putout by stepping on, or otherwise touching, the base that a runner is heading toward, having been forced to advance to that base because of a batter’s base hit.

Etymology

Origin of force play

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

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:

force play

Canady responded by striking out Taylor Stephens on a change-up and getting Kaitlyn Terry to ground into a force play at home to end the threat.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2025

In the 10th, Treinen gave up a run when Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled, stole second base, stole third base and scored on a force play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2024

Bryan De La Cruz had four hits for the Marlins, scoring twice and Jacob Stallings had two RBIs on an infield force play and a single.

From Washington Times ● May 23, 2023

Heavy rain caused sufficient delays to force play into a fifth day in Dubai.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2023

Throw it here!” yelled Collins, and Doyle, thinking that they were trying for a force play, increased his efforts to reach second.

From Pitching in a Pinch or, Baseball from the Inside by Christy Mathewson

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