hitter

IPA/ˈhɪtə(r)/
KK[hˈɪtɚ]IPA/ˈhɪtər/

hitter — noun

  • hittersingular
  • hittersplural

1. the baseball player standing at the plate, ready to swing at a thrown ball when

1.nounB1
Definition

the baseball player standing at the plate, ready to swing at a thrown ball when it is their turn to bat.

Example

Darius is the strongest hitter on our high school baseball team.

common pattern: [name] is the [adjective] hitter

The pitcher walked the next hitter to load the bases with runners.

collocation: walk the hitter / face the hitter

Common collocations
  • power hitter
  • pinch hitter
  • leadoff hitter
  • switch hitter
  • designated hitter
  • walk the hitter
  • face the hitter
  • best hitter on the team
Synonyms
  • batter

    more common in everyday baseball talk; often interchangeable with 'hitter'

  • slugger

    informal; specifically a hitter known for hitting the ball very hard or for home runs

Antonyms
  • pitcher

    the player who throws the ball to the hitter

  • fielder

    the players positioned to catch or stop the hit ball

Grammar Patterns

the [adjective] hitter

a [number]-run hitter

Usage Note

Subject is almost always a person in a baseball context. Frequently appears with descriptive modifiers naming a style of batting: 'power hitter', 'pinch hitter', 'leadoff hitter', 'switch hitter', 'designated hitter'.

Common Mistakes

The hitter caught the ball during the inning.
The fielder caught the ball during the inning.
a 'hitter' is the batter at the plate, not a player who catches; use 'fielder' or 'catcher' for those roles.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

In baseball, 'batter' is the most neutral and everyday word for the player at the plate — broadcasters, coaches, and casual fans use it equally. 'Hitter' overlaps almost completely with 'batter' but tends to emphasise the act and skill of striking the ball, so it pairs naturally with descriptive modifiers ('power hitter', 'leadoff hitter', 'switch hitter'). 'Slugger' is informal and narrower — it picks out a hitter known for hitting the ball very hard, usually for home runs or extra-base hits. You would say 'the next batter walks to the plate', but 'Aaron Judge is one of the league's premier sluggers' when praising raw power. In short: 'batter' is the default role label, 'hitter' is the role with a hint of capability, 'slugger' is admiring slang for the most powerful subset.

hitter ↗batter ↗slugger

Common collocations

Nouns

  • power hitter
  • pinch hitter
  • leadoff hitter
  • switch hitter
  • designated hitter
  • clean-up hitter

Phrases

  • walk the hitter
  • face the hitter
  • the next hitter up

Prepositions

  • hitter at (the plate)
  • hitter against (the pitcher)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishAmerican English

Formed in English from the verb 'hit' plus the agent suffix '-er', meaning literally 'one who hits'. The general agent-noun sense appeared in Middle English, but the specialised baseball use — 'the batter at the plate' — developed in American English alongside the sport itself during the second half of the 19th century.