line drive

noun

: a batted baseball hit in a nearly straight line usually not far above the ground

Examples of line drive in a Sentence

He hit a hard line drive to the shortstop.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In between singles by Manny Machado and Merrill in the bottom of the third, Ty France launched a ball that was caught at the wall in left field, and Rengifo had a 104 mph line drive caught by first baseman TJ Rumfield to end the inning. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2026 The first of those errors led to a run in the third when Alonso scored on Christian Encarnacion-Strand's single — a line drive that Jarvis also wasn't able to handle. — ABC News, 25 July 2026 Jeremy Pena opened the bottom of the first with his seventh career leadoff home run and eighth homer this season, a 405-foot line drive to left-center off Marlins right-hander Tyler Phillips (2-5). — Miami Herald, 22 July 2026 Trout was at first and Schanuel hit a line drive right to first baseman Alec Burleson, who stepped on the bag to end the inning. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for line drive

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of line drive was in 1903

Rhymes for line drive

See All Rhymes for line drive

Browse Nearby Words

line drawing
line drive
line drop
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Line drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/line%20drive. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

line drive

noun
: a batted baseball hit not far above the ground in a nearly straight line

More from Merriam-Webster on line drive

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about line drive

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