leadoff

[ leed-awf, -of ]

/ ˈlidˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

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See synonyms for leadoff on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act that starts something; start; beginning.

Baseball. the player who is first in the batting order or who is first to bat for a team in an inning.

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Origin of leadoff

First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase lead off

Words nearby leadoff

leading strings, leading tone, leading wind, lead line, lead monoxide, leadoff, lead on, lead one to, lead oxide, lead pencil, lead-pipe cinch

Other definitions for leadoff (2 of 2)

lead-off

[ leed-awf, -of ]

/ ˈlidˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

adjective

leading off or beginning: the lead-off item on the agenda.

Origin of lead-off

First recorded in 1885–90; adj. use of verb phrase lead off

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

How to use leadoff in a sentence

I batted leadoff all through the minor leagues until I got to the big leagues and got stronger.
Darren Baker has long been known as Dusty’s son. Now he’s paving his own way.|Jesse Dougherty|August 26, 2021|Washington Post
Linquist, the Colonials’ catcher and leadoff hitter, scored the winning run in the ninth inning of Saturday’s first game against Dayton to force a winner-take-all showdown.
How the Nationals inspired GW softball on the way to its first NCAA tournament|Scott Allen|May 20, 2021|Washington Post
Corbin surrendered a leadoff double in the first to Andrew McCutchen, who came around to score on a double-steal.
A team meeting, Patrick Corbin’s strong start and Josh Bell’s blast lift Nats over Phillies|Gene Wang|May 13, 2021|Washington Post
He hit leadoff batter Tommy Edman with a fastball, yielded an infield single and walked Paul DeJong to put three on in the first, when the temperature was a misleading 53 degrees.
Max Scherzer and the Nationals overcome a howling wind to end their homestand on a high|Jesse Dougherty|April 21, 2021|Washington Post

The key then was whether Robles could be an effective leadoff hitter.
For the Nationals, Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber can’t debut soon enough|Jesse Dougherty|April 12, 2021|Washington Post

British Dictionary definitions for leadoff

lead off

/ (liːd) /

verb (adverb)

to initiate the action of (something); begin

noun lead-off

an initial move or action

a person or thing that begins something

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with leadoff