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)

ˈshȯrt-ˌstäp How to pronounce short-stop (audio)
: stop bath

Examples of shortstop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Deploying Jarvis as the everyday shortstop in 2027 would be a roll of the dice. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026 But trouble lurked in a left-field box seat — and at shortstop. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 Meidroth, who spent a majority of his rookie season in 2025 at shortstop, moved to second base in 2026, and led all American League second basemen with a +10 in Statcast's fielding run value metric. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 The league issued some specific guidelines about extreme positioning, essentially requiring shortstops and second basemen to remain on their side of second base, among other changes. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shortstop

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

Rhymes for shortstop

See All Rhymes for shortstop

Browse Nearby Words

short-stay
shortstop
short-stop
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Cite this Entry

“Shortstop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortstop. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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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

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shortstop

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