passed ball

American

[past bawl] / ˈpæst ˌbɔl /

noun

Baseball.

a pitched ball that the catcher can reasonably be expected to catch but misses, allowing one or more base runners to advance one or more bases.

Etymology

Origin of passed ball

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Compare meaning

How does passed-ball compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

passed ball vs. wild pitch

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.

See Examples For:

passed ball

Their first run was the result of a passed ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Edison 9, Newport Harbor 8: The Chargers won it in the bottom of the seventh on a passed ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2025

Richland would add a fourth run in the bottom of the fourth when Carter Upmeyer scored on a passed ball.

From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2024

Arizona scored twice off reliever Ryan Yarbrough in the eighth when Marte led off with a homer off the left-field foul pole and Walker doubled and later scored on a passed ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024

Then nothing more happened until the eighth, when Bacon was hit by Rollins, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice and scored on a passed ball.

From The Crimson Sweater by Ralph Henry Barbour

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023