Dictionary

shortstop en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [ʃɔɹˀstap̥] (General-American)
• /ʃɔɹt.stap/ (General-American)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.? Proto-Germanic *skertaną Proto-Germanic *skurtaz Proto-West Germanic *skurt Old English sċort Middle English schort English short English stop English shortstop From short + stop.

Meanings

1. The infield defensive player that stands between the second baseman and the third baseman.
   • “Your father was the best baseball player anyone had ever seen.” Excited but halting, her voice ran on past all obstacles. “We watched him play shortstop, and my father said he was the best, and my brothers too. The Cardinals sent a man down to talk to him about one of their teams.” Like an ancient marineress, she would not let go. She meant the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm teams. 2016, Mike Westphal, Cloud of Expectation; Book One: The In America Series, Xlibris, →ISBN:
   • Cam Smith bounced to shortstop on a 100 mph fastball, and Jacob Melton also grounded out on an 86.9 mph curveball. 2025 June 11, “White Sox pitching prospect Grant Taylor makes jump from Double-A to perfect major league debut”, in Associated Press, archived from the original on 12 Jun 2025:
   • The shortstop ranged deep into the hole to make the stop.
2. (figuratively) A nimble defender.
   • I'll play shortstop when we make our proposal.
3. A player who is short of money.
   • The shortstops and desperados were not permitted to play in this marker crap game. 1981, Sam Grafstein, Dice Doctor:

Forms

Coordinates

baseman

Hypernyms

baseball player · infielder

Relateds

catcher · second baseman · first baseman · pitcher · third baseman · infielder · outfielder

Translations (19)

ko 유격수 (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · ja ショート (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · cs spojka (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · es parador en corto (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · es torpedero (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · bg шортстоп (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · fr arrêt-court (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · pl łapacz (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · es campo corto (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · ca interbase (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · ko 쇼트 (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · cmn 游擊手 /游击手 (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · hu beállós (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · fi sortti (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · ja 遊撃手 (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · it interbase (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · fi polttaja (in pesäpallo) (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · pt interbases (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman) · vi chặn ngắn (baseball: defensive player between second and third baseman)

shortstop en · VERB

Pronunciation

• [ʃɔɹˀstap̥] (General-American)
• /ʃɔɹt.stap/ (General-American)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.? Proto-Germanic *skertaną Proto-Germanic *skurtaz Proto-West Germanic *skurt Old English sċort Middle English schort English short English stop English shortstop From short + stop.

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of short-stop (to play shortstop).
   alt of short-stop
   • Managed and shortstopped by George Wright and full of league stalwarts—Joe Start, Paul Hines, and Jim O'rourke—they also had 1-year-old phenom Monte Ward as primary moundsman (teams now generally used multiple pitchers). 2017, Brandon Isleib, Playing for a Winner, page 77:
   • He captained the Tecumsehs of London, Ontario, (International Association) in 1878; shortstopped for Cincinnati in 1879; stayed out of baseball in 1880; and finished as shortstop for Boston (NL) in 1881. 2012, Robert L. Tiemann, Mark Rucker, Joseph M. Overfield, Nineteenth Century Stars, page 20:
   • He shortstopped for a few years for the Houston Astros when they won the World Series twice in a row. 2017, Susan Forest, Lucas K. Law, Juliet Marillier, The Sum of Us: Tales of the Bonded and Bound:
2. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of short-stop (to cause to stop short).
   alt of short-stop
   • Although he successfully shortstopped the assault on his two teammates, the enemy soldiers now concentrated their fire directly on him. 2008, Gary Linderer, Phantom Warriors, page 148:
   • In the polymerization of BD by Ti-, Co- and Ni-based catalyst systems the polymerization has to be shortstopped at a specific monomer conversion in order to avoid the formation of gel. 2006, Oskar Nuyken, Neodymium Based Ziegler Catalysts - Fundamental Chemistry, page 64:
   • They will be shortstopped in the port for lease by the government, then continue their journey by military train. 1978, Carol D. Jori, “Container Revolution in Bremerhaven”, in Sealift, page 18:

Forms