line drive
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of line drive
First recorded in 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A pitcher caught a line drive — or rather, the ball caught him — with his jersey.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
George Springer's sharp line drive reduced the deficit, but Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto kept the hosts in check, giving up just that one run in six innings pitched.
From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025
In the fourth, Teoscar Hernández came up empty on an over-aggressive and ill-advised sliding attempt down the right-field line, playing a Daulton Varsho line drive into a triple that set up a sacrifice fly.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2025
Ernie Clement singled off reliever Emmet Sheehan to give Toronto the lead for he first time, Sheehan walked in a run, and a line drive from Andres Gimenez made it 5-2.
From BBC • Oct. 25, 2025
If the ball’s hit on the ground, he takes off; if it’s a line drive, he freezes until it clears the infield; and if it’s in the air, he laser-locks on Webb at third.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
