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.

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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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of home run

An Americanism first recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Once, when a player hit a home run, Turner ran on the field to congratulate him.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Brody Thompson hit a home run for Alemany, which finished in fourth place.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Chaminade 9, Harvard-Westlake 5: Anthony Costa and Robby Morgan each had two hits and two RBIs and Isaiah Hearn hit a three-run home run to lead the Eagles.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Her junior year at North Oconee outside Atlanta, she hit 24 home runs to tie the Georgia state single-season home run record.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

I show it to Morrie with the pride of a Little Leaguer rounding the bases on his first home run.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

Related Words

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• dead center
• omphalos