strike·out
ˈstrīk-ˌau̇t 
: an out in baseball resulting from a batter's being charged with three strikes
struck out; struck out also stricken out; striking out; strikes out
1
: to enter upon a course of action
struck out on her own after graduating
2
: to set out vigorously
3
: to make an out in baseball by a strikeout
4
: to finish bowling a string with consecutive strikes
specifically
: to bowl three strikes in the last frame
5
US, informal
: fail sense 2c
6
: to try to hit suddenly
struck out wildly with his arms
—often used with atstruck out at the officers
7
: to remove (something) from a document
struck out a paragraph
of a baseball pitcher
: to retire (someone) by a strikeout
Examples of strikeout in a Sentence
Verb
their joint venture in Las Vegas struck out, and they hurriedly dissolved the partnership
struck out all references to indecent matters
Recent Examples on the Web
Jayson Stark, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Senior pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez (1-0) picked up the win, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts in 3⅓ innings.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 7 Feb. 2026
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
By twice keeping San Diego players off the field because of the color of their skin after refusing to allow a Massachusetts player to take the field for the same reason, Chaillaux — the Legion’s varlet of Americanism — struck out.
—Bill Swank, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strikeout
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Noun
For the record, deGrom has 96 career wins … and 1,851 strikeouts.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Senior pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez (1-0) picked up the win, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts in 3⅓ innings.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 7 Feb. 2026
Verb
And now Gus is striking out on his own.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
By twice keeping San Diego players off the field because of the color of their skin after refusing to allow a Massachusetts player to take the field for the same reason, Chaillaux — the Legion’s varlet of Americanism — struck out.
—Bill Swank, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strikeout
Cite this Entry
“Strikeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strikeout. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
strikeout
1 of 2 noun
strike·out
ˈstrī-ˌkau̇t
: an out in baseball resulting from a batter's being charged with three strikes
strike out
2 of 2 verb(ˈ)strī-ˈkau̇t
1
: to enter upon a course of action
struck out on my own after graduation
2
: to make an out or cause to make an out in baseball by a strikeout
the shortstop struck out
the pitcher struck him out with a curve
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