shortstop

1 of 2

noun (1)

short·​stop ˈshȯrt-ˌstäp How to pronounce shortstop (audio)
1
: the player position in baseball for defending the infield area on the third-base side of second base
2
: the player stationed in the shortstop position

short-stop

2 of 2

noun (2)

Examples of shortstop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
And what better place to focus on defense than at shortstop? Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Michael Robertson’s two-out single to shortstop drove home Shelnut. Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2024 After 10 years, primarily as Arizona’s everyday shortstop, Nick Ahmed was released last September, a month before the team clinched its first postseason berth since 2017, eventually making it all the way to the World Series, where the Diamondbacks were defeated by Bruce Bochy’s Texas Rangers. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 Hardy Another link in the chain of dependable Orioles shortstops, J.J. Hardy played for Baltimore from 2011 to 2017. Paul McCardell, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2024 The sophomore trio consisting of shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and outfielders Nolan Jones and Brenton Doyle, along with tantalizing prospects such as Zac Veen, spark faith that there are better days down the road. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2024 Luciano ‘few more days’ away After being scratched from their spring opener, rookie shortstop Marco Luciano was supposed to make his debut Monday. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 The financial outlay dwarfed the record $4 million signing bonus for Dominican shortstop Luis Almanzar, inked just days earlier. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024 Texas shortstop Corey Seager (1.01), Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña (1.01), Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson (.993), Dodgers second baseman Mookie Betts (.987) and Dodgers first Freddie Freeman (.976) were the top six. Jack Magruder, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shortstop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shortstop was in 1857

Dictionary Entries Near shortstop

short-stay

shortstop

short-stop

Cite this Entry

“Shortstop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortstop. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shortstop

noun
short·​stop ˈshȯrt-ˌstäp How to pronounce shortstop (audio)
: the baseball infielder whose position is between second and third base

More from Merriam-Webster on shortstop

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