home run

American  

[hohm ruhn] / ˈhoʊm ˈrʌn /

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 British  

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

---

home run Idioms  

1. 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.

---

Etymology

Origin of home run

An Americanism first recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Jacob Melendez hit a two-run home run and got the save in Norco’s semifinal win over Notre Dame.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

Kyle Hurt, who eventually picked up the win, replaced him in the seventh and immediately surrendered a home run to Tovar on the second pitch of the at-bat to pad Colorado’s lead.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

Annabel Raftery hit a solo home run and Magenta De Arte added an RBI single.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

If there’s one thing in American sports that’s going to get people to sit up, lean forward and engage, it’s the home run.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

I pound my glove, feel for the whiteboard, and then pretend I’m taking away a home run with a leaping grab.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

Related Words

• center
• dead center
• omphalos