base on balls

n. pl. bases on balls Abbr. BB Baseball

An advance to first base that is awarded to a batter who takes four pitches that are balls.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

walk

(wɔk)

v.i.

1. to advance or travel on foot at a moderate speed or pace; proceed by advancing the feet alternately so that there is always one foot on the ground in bipedal locomotion and two or more feet on the ground in quadrupedal locomotion.

2. to move about or travel on foot for exercise or pleasure: to walk in the park.

3. (of things) to move in a manner suggestive of walking, as through repeated vibrations.

4. (in baseball) to receive a walk.

5. Slang.

a. to go on strike; stage a walkout.

b. to be acquitted.

6. (of spirits) to go about on the earth.

7. to conduct one's life in a particular manner.

8. (of a basketball player in possession of the ball) to take more than two steps without dribbling or passing the ball.

9. Obs. to roam.

v.t.

10. to proceed through, over, etc., on foot: walking London streets by night.

11. to lead, drive, or ride at a walk, as an animal: to walk one's horse.

12. to force or help to walk, as a person.

13. to conduct or accompany on a walk: He walked us about the park.

14. to move (a box, trunk, or other object) by a rocking motion suggestive of walking.

15. (of a baseball pitcher) to give a base on balls to (a batter).

16. to spend or pass (time) in walking (often fol. by away): We walked the morning away.

17. to accomplish by walking: to walk guard.

18. to examine, measure, etc., by traversing on foot: to walk the boundaries of a property.

19. walk off or away with,

a. to take away; steal.

b. to win, as a prize or a competition, esp. with ease.

20. walk out,

a. to go on strike.

b. to leave in protest.

21. walk out on, to desert; forsake.

22. walk through,

a. to rehearse (a play or the like) by reading the lines aloud while doing the designated physical movements.

b. to perform in a perfunctory manner.

c. to guide (someone) carefully, one step at a time.

23. an act or instance of walking.

24. a period of walking for exercise or pleasure.

25. a distance walked or to be walked, often in terms of the time required: a ten-minute walk from here.

26. the gait or pace of a person or an animal that walks.

27. a characteristic manner of walking.

28. (in baseball) the awarding of first base to a batter to whom four balls have been pitched.

29. a sidewalk.

30. a place or path prepared or set apart for walking.

31. an enclosed yard, pen, or the like where domestic animals are fed and left to exercise.

32. a branch of activity, line of work, or position in society: in every walk of life.

33. (in the West Indies) a plantation of trees, esp. coffee trees.

34. Brit.

a. the route of a street vendor, tradesman, or the like.

b. a tract of forest land under the charge of one forester or keeper.

35. Archaic. behavior; conduct.

36. Obs. a haunt or resort.

Idioms:

walk the plank,

a. to go to one's death by being forced to walk off the end of a board that extends from the side of a ship.

b. to be forced to resign from one's job.

[before 1000; (v.) Middle English; Old English wealcan to roll, toss, gewealcan to go, c. Middle Dutch, Middle Low German walken to full (cloth), Old High German gewalchen matted]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

base on balls - (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls; "he worked the pitcher for a base on balls"

pass, walk

accomplishment, achievement - the action of accomplishing something

baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League ball in the area"; "play ball!"