home plate

noun, Baseball.
1.
the base at which the batter stands and which a base runner must reach safely in order to score a run, typically a five-sided slab of whitened rubber set at ground level at the front corner of the diamond.
Also called home, the plate, home base.
Origin
1870-75, Americanism
Examples from the web for home plate
  • At the touch of a button, the robot's silvery jointed arm reared back and then moved steadily toward home plate.
  • Though the first act is a slow wind- up, the second act is a fast ball across home plate.
  • Almost nose to nose, an umpire, a manager and a star baseball player are screaming as they jostle for position near home plate.
  • For a pitcher, it's the strike zone over home plate that suddenly begins to jump around.
  • It contains an electronic home plate, ball and plastic bat.
  • The distance between a pitcher's mound and a home plate is twice as long as long jump records.
  • The stadium seating is primarily metal bleachers, although there are some bucket seats behind home plate.
British Dictionary definitions for home plate

home plate

noun
1.
(baseball) a flat often five-sided piece of hard rubber or other material that serves to define the area over which the pitcher must throw the ball for a strike and that a base runner must safely reach on his way from third base to score a run Also called plate, home, home base
Slang definitions & phrases for home plate

home plate

noun phrase

The landing field, aircraft carrier, etc, where an aircraft is based

Related Terms

get to first base

[1950s+ Air Force; fr the baseball sense, regarded as a goal and safe haven]