hat trick

[ hat-trik ]

See synonyms for hat trick on Thesaurus.com

noun

Cricket. the knocking off by one bowler of three wickets with three successive pitches.
Ice Hockey, Soccer. three goals scored by one player in one game: He was the only athlete in our school’s history to achieve a hat trick in both hockey and soccer.

Baseball. three like feats executed by one player in one game, especially three home runs: In last night’s game, Marley performed a most unusual hat trick, with his three unassisted double plays.
a series of three related successes or accomplishments, especially when achieved one after the other and in close proximity: Once again, Kay won the blue ribbons for dill pickles, bread-and-butter pickles, and pickled beets—her annual pickle hat trick!

Origin of hat trick

First recorded in 1865–70; so called because formerly such a cricket bowler was rewarded with a hat

See also natural hat trick, Texas hat trick.

Words Nearby hat trick

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hat trick in a sentence

Oshie provided one of the greatest moments of the regular season that same night, recording a hat trick in his first game since his dad died.
A Capitals playoff primer as they prepare to face the Bruins | Scott Allen | May 14, 2021 | Washington Post
He wiped away tears as he sat down, an emotional moment that came after Oshie completed a hat trick in his first game since the death of his father.
In a chaotic week for the Capitals, T.J. Oshie gives Washington something to rally around | Samantha Pell | May 6, 2021 | Washington Post
Oshie, who missed Monday’s contretemps to be with his family, notched a hat trick to lift the Capitals to a 4-2 win in a game that saw an astounding 100 penalty minutes handed out in the first period alone and 141 total.
T.J. Oshie’s hat trick gives Capitals final say in fight-filled win over Rangers | Samantha Pell, Scott Allen | May 6, 2021 | Washington Post
Never before in the Bundesliga’s 57-year history had an American recorded a hat trick.
Matthew Hoppe was a little-known American soccer player — until he reached the Bundesliga | Steven Goff | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
Rossi scored all three goals — a hat trick — as the Azzurri beat Brazil, 3-2, sending the soccer-crazy fans in the South American nation into shock and mourning.
Paolo Rossi, Italian World Cup soccer hero, dies at 64 | Phil Davison | December 10, 2020 | Washington Post

In 2010, she scored an Oscar hat-trick with The Young Victoria.
Finally! ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Is Hollywood’s First 1990s Period Piece | Andrew Romano | December 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The "double hat-trick" was six consecutive wickets, the last six, all clean bowled.
The Wonder | J. D. Beresford
Upon a similar wicket had he not done the famous hat-trick only three weeks before?
The Hill | Horace Annesley Vachell
It played the "hat trick" with the gentility of modern manners.
Now It Can Be Told | Philip Gibbs

British Dictionary definitions for hat-trick

hat-trick

noun

cricket the achievement of a bowler in taking three wickets with three successive balls
any achievement of three points, victories, awards, etc within a given period, esp three goals scored by the same player in a soccer match

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

Cultural definitions for hat trick

hat trick

In some sports, such as ice hockey, three goals by one player in a single game: “Lemieux scores for the third time tonight; he finally has the hat trick he's been looking for all season.”

Notes for hat trick

By extension, a hat trick is an outstanding performance by an individual, or a particularly clever or adroit maneuver: “She pulled off a hat trick with her presentation to the committee.”

Notes for hat trick

The phrase originally referred to a hat traditionally given to a cricket player who scored three wickets, or goals.

Other Idioms and Phrases with hat trick

hat trick

An extremely clever or adroit maneuver, as in It looked as though the party was going to achieve a hat trick in this election. The term originated in cricket, where it refers to three wickets taken by a bowler in three consecutive balls, traditionally rewarded with the presentation of a hat. It later was transferred to ice hockey, soccer, and baseball, where it denotes three consecutive successes (goals, hits), and then to more general use.

Browse