spring training

American  

noun

1. a program of physical exercise, practice, and exhibition games followed by a baseball team in the late winter and early spring, before the start of the regular season.

2. the period during which such a program takes place, usually from the beginning of March until the middle of April.

---

Etymology

Origin of spring training

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

And by the time he arrived at spring training, he had emerged as the sport’s consensus No. 1 prospect.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

He skipped spring training his first two minor league seasons to complete his classes at Washburn and graduated in 1969 with a degree in elementary education.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Major League Baseball did commission a documentary, as it always does, but the film was not ready for release by the time spring training started.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Mangum reported to spring training and learned that he had shrunk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Ever since, Crandall’s spring training, like charity, has begun at home, and he takes exercise night and morning throughout the winter, so that when he comes into camp his weight will be somewhere near normal.

From Pitching in a Pinch or, Baseball from the Inside by Mathewson, Christy