home run

[hohm ruhn]

noun

1. Also called homer. Baseball.,  a hit that enables a batter, without the aid of a fielding error, to score a run by making a nonstop circuit of the bases. h.r., hr, HR

2. a complete or unqualified success.

   trying to hit a home run at the box office.

home run

noun

1. baseball a hit that enables the batter to run round all four bases, usually by hitting the ball out of the playing area

Word History and Origins

Origin of home run¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1855–60

Idioms and Phrases

A highly successful achievement; also, doubling one's profits. For example, We scored a home run with that drug stock, buying it at 15 and selling at 30. This expression originated in the mid-1800s in baseball, where it refers to a pitched ball batted so far that the batter can round all three bases and reach home plate, scoring a run. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.

Example Sentences

In the four games of the division series, he neither hit a home run or scored a run.

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The Yankees managed to win a single game only because Judge hit a clutch home run to spark a dramatic comeback that provided a faint glimmer of hope.

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On the rare occasions I catch a game on TV, nearly all of the action consists of strikeouts, home runs, pitching changes and hoopla.

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The reason for that is simple enough: They both hit a ridiculous number of home runs.

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Same goes for these ridiculous battles for foul balls and home runs.

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Related Words

• center 
• dead center 
• omphalos