home plate

noun

: a 5-sided rubber slab at one corner of a baseball diamond at which a batter stands when batting and which must be touched by a base runner in order to score

Examples of home plate in a Sentence

The runner was tagged out at home plate.
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.
Outside on the diamond, a fake umpire was standing near home plate with a gun and a taser concealed beneath his uniform. — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 On television, ads for UCLA Health show up behind the Dodgers’ home plate and in the background when Justin Herbert, the Chargers’ quarterback, speaks after a game. — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026 Brewers offered seats behind home plate in 2018 for a potential World Series. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026 Caminero took his time rounding the bases before touching home plate, and the Rays fans in the stadium matched his energy the entire time. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for home plate

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of home plate was in 1866

Rhymes for home plate

See All Rhymes for home plate

Browse Nearby Words

homeplace
home plate
homeport
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Home plate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/home%20plate. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

home plate

noun
: the base where a baseball batter stands and which a base runner must touch in order to score

More from Merriam-Webster on home plate

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about home plate

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