Meaning & use
home run
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Meanings
nouncountablesport
In baseball, a hit that lets the batter run around all the bases and score, usually by hitting the ball out of the park.
Grammar: Countable: you can hit a home run, hit two home runs, etc.
Patterns
- hit a home run
- a home run by someone
- score on a home run
- a two-run home run
He hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth to win the game.
The crowd stood up when the batter hit a home run.
She leads the league with 30 home runs this season.
nouncountablefigurativeinformal
A very successful achievement or result, especially one that is widely praised.
Grammar: Countable and often used in informal business or sports contexts.
Patterns
- be a home run
- hit a home run with something
- a home run for someone
The new ad campaign was a home run; sales doubled in a month.
Her presentation was a home run with the investors.
The movie was a home run at the box office.
Word forms
| plural | home runs |
|---|
Common combinations
- hit a home run
- He hit a home run in his first major league at-bat.
- a home run derby
- The annual home run derby is a popular event.
- a grand slam home run
- His grand slam home run brought in four runs.
- a home run hitter
- They need a home run hitter in the middle of the lineup.
- a home run for the team
- The new stadium was a home run for the team and the city.
Synonyms and how they differ
- homer
- Informal American English for a home run in baseball; not used in the figurative sense.
- grand slam
- A home run hit with the bases loaded, scoring four runs; a home run can be any number of runs.
- success
- A general word; a home run is a very striking and often public success.
Opposites
Word family
- homer noun
- Informal term for a home run.
Commonly confused: home run or home plate? home run or home run?
home run vs home plate
The base where the batter stands and must reach to score; a home run is the hit that allows the batter to circle all bases and touch home plate.
home run vs home run
Not to be confused with 'home run' in cricket, which does not exist; cricket has 'six' for a similar big hit.
Practice
With two outs, he ______ to give his team the lead.
Choose one answer.
The correct phrase is 'hit a home run' with the indefinite article. 'Hit home run' is missing the article, 'hit the home run' is not the usual idiom, and 'hit a home run in' would need a following object like 'in the park'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “home run”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.