full count

American

[fool kount] / ˈfʊl ˈkaʊnt /

noun

Baseball.

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.

In a full count, Muncy did, launching a sky-high pop-up down the first base line.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025

In the first inning, Betts walked on four pitches, Freddie Freeman took a free base from a full count and Teoscar Hernández watched four more balls miss the strike zone to load the bases.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2024

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

With two outs and Mitch Haniger on first with a single, Raley walked on a full count.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2024

No few had fallen, renowned or nameless, captain or soldier; for it was a great battle and the full count of it no tale has told.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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