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full count

American  
[fool kount] / ˈfʊl ˈkaʊnt /

noun

Baseball.
  1. a count of three balls and two strikes on the batter, considered full because either a fourth ball or a third strike would end the at-bat by, respectively, walking or striking out the batter.


Etymology

Origin of full count

First recorded in 1940–45

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:

This year's full count, Tony later tells me, is one of the best yet.

From BBC Aug. 8, 2026

The right fielder worked a full count in the third inning.

From Los Angeles Times May 24, 2026

Only when closer Easton Hawk struck out Murray State’s Dominic Decker on a full count for the final out could the Bruins exhale.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 14, 2025

The first full count for five years on the Farne Islands off Northumberland has revealed the endangered species has in fact increased by 15% since 2019.

From BBC Sep. 5, 2024

I lay there listening to the full count, but I couldn’t move.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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