relief pitcher

noun

: a baseball pitcher who takes over for another during a game

Examples of relief pitcher in a Sentence

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.
The Cleveland Guardians have made a trade for outfielder Blake Perkins and relief pitcher Craig Yoho. — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Several people, both inside and outside the organization, have predicted the Padres will trade away players from the major league roster, which could mean one of their four left-handed relievers (or another relief pitcher) is traded. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026 Phil ‘The Vulture’ Regan dies Phil Regan, who had one great and one good season as a relief pitcher with the Dodgers, died earlier this month at 89. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 Catcher Adley Rutschman might be the most interesting trade possibility, and outfielder Taylor Ward the most obvious candidate, but relief pitcher Yennier Cano will become the Orioles player mentioned most often in trade rumors. — The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for relief pitcher

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of relief pitcher was in 1884

Rhymes for relief pitcher

See All Rhymes for relief pitcher

Browse Nearby Words

relief model
relief pitcher
relief printing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Relief pitcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relief%20pitcher. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

relief pitcher

noun
: a baseball pitcher who takes over for another during a game

More from Merriam-Webster on relief pitcher

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about relief pitcher

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of colloquial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All