sacrifice bunt

American

[sak-ruh-fahys buhnt] / ˈsæk rəˌfaɪs ˈbʌnt /

noun

Baseball.

a sacrifice hit in which a bunted ball, hit when there are fewer than two outs, is fielded to put the batter out at first base but allows one or more base runners to safely advance to their next base.

Etymology

Origin of sacrifice bunt

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

They mainly hate it because over time, teams that sacrifice bunt score less than teams that don’t.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025

Even Tommy Edman, who didn’t have a hit, contributed with a sacrifice bunt that scored a run.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2024

Pinch-hitter Cavan Biggio then opened the bottom of the 11th with a sacrifice bunt to advance automatic runner Kiké Hernández to third.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 20, 2024

Pushing his hitting streak to a career-best nine games, Castro went 2 for 3 with two runs and a sacrifice bunt.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2024

An error, followed quickly by a base on balls and a successful sacrifice bunt put Bear runners on second and third bases with but one out and Holleran coming to the bat.

From Jimmy Kirkland and the Plot for a Pennant by Fullerton, Hugh S.

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