mitts

IPA/mɪt/
KK[mˈɪts]IPA/mɪt/

mitts — noun

  • mittssingular
  • mittsesplural

1. a padded leather hand covering worn by baseball players for catching and holding

1.nounB1
Definition

a padded leather hand covering worn by baseball players for catching and holding the ball

Example

Theo oiled his baseball mitt every week to keep the leather soft.

collocation: oil a mitt / baseball mitt

Ritu's mitt was old and worn, but she kept using it because it fit well.

Common collocations
  • baseball mitt
  • leather mitt
  • oil a mitt
  • catch with a mitt
  • throw with a mitt
  • first-baseman's mitt
Synonyms
  • baseball glove

    more general term; 'glove' is common for outfield players while 'mitt' is preferred for pitchers and catchers

  • catcher's mitt

    a specific type of mitt with extra padding for the catcher position

Usage Note

Nearly always used in baseball contexts. Pitchers and catchers specifically call their glove a 'mitt', while outfield players more often say 'baseball glove'.

Common Mistakes

He bought a new mitt for taking dishes out of the oven.
He bought oven mitts for the kitchen.
A baseball mitt is for sports; use 'oven mitts' for handling hot cookware.
She wore a mitt on each hand in the winter.
She wore mittens on her hands in the winter.
'Mitt' alone does not usually mean a winter hand covering; use 'mitten' or 'winter mitts.'

2. a hand covering in which the thumb has a separate section but the other four fin

2.nounB1
Definition

a hand covering in which the thumb has a separate section but the other four fingers share one space, worn for warmth or for handling hot kitchen items

Example

Amira used oven mitts to pull the hot baking tray out of the oven.

collocation: oven mitts

Lakan's wool mitts had a string inside so he would not lose them at school.

Common collocations
  • oven mitts
  • wool mitts
  • knitted mitts
  • silicone mitt
  • pair of mitts
  • winter mitts
  • kitchen mitts
Synonyms
  • mitten

    the standard term for a winter hand covering with a single compartment for four fingers

  • oven glove

    British term for a padded kitchen mitt

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: oven mitts are padded kitchen tools for heat protection, not sports equipment. Distinguish from 'glove': mitts keep the four fingers together, which makes them warmer than gloves but less dexterous.

Common Mistakes

She caught the baseball with her oven mitts.
She caught the baseball with her mitt.
Oven mitts are designed for kitchen heat, not for sports.
I need a new mitten because one is missing.
I need a new pair of mittens because one is missing.
Winter hand coverings usually come as a pair.

3. a person's hand — used in informal speech, often in humorous or disapproving phr

3.nounB2
Definition

a person's hand — used in informal speech, often in humorous or disapproving phrases

Example

Jin told the children to keep their grubby mitts off his new phone.

fixed phrase: keep your mitts off

Daichi could not wait to get his mitts on the latest racing game.

fixed phrase: get your mitts on something (obtain eagerly)

Common collocations
  • keep your mitts off
  • get your mitts on
  • dirty mitts
  • grubby mitts
  • wash your mitts
Synonyms
  • hand

    the neutral, standard term without any informal connotation

  • paw

    even more informal and humorous, often used for a large or clumsy hand

  • fist

    a closed hand, not the same as an open hand

Usage Note

Very informal, sometimes humorous or disapproving. Most common in the fixed phrases 'keep your mitts off' (do not touch) and 'get your mitts on' (obtain or take). Avoid in formal or academic writing.

Common Mistakes

She raised her mitt to ask a question in class.
She raised her hand to ask a question in class.
'Mitts' for hands is too informal for a classroom setting and can sound rude or childish.
He shook my mitt when we met.
He shook my hand when we met.
'Mitts' is not used in formal greeting contexts.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Mitt', 'baseball glove', and 'glove' all refer to the leather handwear used in baseball, but they differ in specificity. 'Mitt' is the term baseball insiders use most — announcers say 'the pitcher's mitt' or 'the catcher's mitt,' and it suggests a thicker, more padded piece of equipment. 'Baseball glove' is the everyday term a non-player would use and works for any defensive position. 'Catcher's mitt' is the most specific: it names the heavily padded mitt worn by the catcher behind home plate. A regular 'glove' outside baseball does not have the deep pocket or heavy padding needed for catching a hard ball. In conversation, use 'mitt' when talking about baseball positioning ('He plays first base and uses a first-baseman's mitt') and 'baseball glove' when speaking to a general audience ('She got a new baseball glove for her birthday').

mitt ↗baseball glove ↗catcher's mittglove ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • pair of mitts

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishAmerican English

The word 'mitt' is a shortened form of 'mitten', which comes from Old French 'mitaine', meaning a kind of glove. In the late 1800s, baseball players began calling their leather catching gloves 'mitts', borrowing the idea of a hand covering that leaves the fingers only partly separated. The slang use of 'mitts' for a person's hands appeared in early 20th-century American English, possibly from boxing, where fighters wore padded mitts.

First known use

1757

1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1a