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

John has been a Blue Jays fan since the team’s inception in 1977 and purposely sits where he does for proximity to home runs.

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He said in a report Thursday that he continues to like Bloom Energy and Teradyne, which he said “feel like home runs” for 2026.

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These include the league's opening night exclusive and its Home Run Derby, where players compete to hit the most home runs.

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Last season, he also hit 29 home runs, his most since collecting 47 in his 2019 MVP season.

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That officially changed this week, after he hit the first game-winning, extra-inning home run in the seventh game of a Fall Classic.

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Related Words

• center 
• dead center 
• omphalos