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  • pitcher
    pitcher
    noun
    a container, usually with a handle and spout or lip, for holding and pouring liquids.
  • Pitcher
    Pitcher
    noun
    Molly Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, 1754–1832, American Revolutionary heroine.
Synonyms

pitcher

1 American  
[pich-er] / ˈpɪtʃ ər /

noun

  1. a container, usually with a handle and spout or lip, for holding and pouring liquids.

  2. Botany.

    1. a pitcherlike modification of the leaf of certain plants.

    2. an ascidium.


pitcher 2 American  
[pich-er] / ˈpɪtʃ ər /

noun

  1. a person who pitches.

  2. Baseball. the player who throws the ball to the opposing batter.

  3. Also called number seven ironGolf. a club with an iron head the face of which has more slope than a mashie but less slope than a pitching niblick.

  4. sett.


Pitcher 3 American  
[pich-er] / ˈpɪtʃ ər /

noun

  1. Molly Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, 1754–1832, American Revolutionary heroine.


pitcher 1 British  
/ ˈpɪtʃə /

noun

  1. a large jug, usually rounded with a narrow neck and often of earthenware, used mainly for holding water

  2. botany any of the urn-shaped leaves of the pitcher plant

"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

pitcher 2 British  
/ ˈpɪtʃə /

noun

  1. baseball the player on the fielding team who pitches the ball to the batter

  2. a granite stone or sett used in paving

"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

pitcher Idioms  

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of pitcher1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English picher, from Old French pichier, from Medieval Latin picārium, variant of bicārium beaker

Origin of pitcher2

First recorded in 1700–10; pitch 1 + -er 1

Explanation

In baseball or softball, the pitcher is the player who throws the ball to the catcher in an attempt to strike out the batter. Another kind of pitcher is one that holds a liquid, like a pitcher of lemonade. The pitcher is one of the most important players on a team, aiming the pitch so that it stays inside a certain "strike zone," but in a way that entices the batter to swing and miss or not to swing at all. The batter, on the other hand, tries to hit the ball that the pitcher throws, and maybe even to hit a home run. The 18th-century meaning of pitcher was "one who pitches hay into a wagon."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing pitcher

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:

Justin Wrobleski is the only Dodgers pitcher set to appear in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2026

Hernandez, the first high school pitcher selected last year, played at Corona High, about 20 miles from Angel Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 12, 2026

And perhaps the ultimate marquee matchup: Babe Ruth, the pitcher, vs.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 12, 2026

Gubicza, the two-time All-Star pitcher and now the Angels’ television analyst, grew up in Philadelphia.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 10, 2026

The pitcher looks at the batter’s stance and how they hold the bat from one angle, and the catcher takes note of the batter’s swing from a different one.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Pitcher, Liliana Escobar, JSerra, Sr.: The Florida commit helped lead the Lions to their first Southern Section Division 1 title with a 1.25 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 146 innings.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 7, 2026

SYLMAR: Pitcher Alex Martinez and power-hitting outfielder Rickee Luevano are capable of having big seasons.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 26, 2026

Jack Pitcher is a reporter in New York covering financial markets and the asset management industry for The Wall Street Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 27, 2026

Served Vacuum Insulated Pitcher – Lukewarm drinks are nowhere to be found when you use the Served vacuum insulated pitcher.

From Salon Nov. 20, 2025

Ma fixed pots and scythes and rakes and picks for eggs or some such, took what we needed, then traded the rest to Ralph Pitcher for store credit at the mercantile.

From "Worth" by A. LaFaye

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