bunt

¹

[ buhnt ]

verb (used with object)

1. Baseball. to bat (a pitched ball) very gently so that it rolls into the infield close to home plate, usually by holding the bat loosely in hands spread apart and allowing the ball to bounce off it.
2. (of a goat or calf) to push with the horns or head; butt.

verb (used without object)

1. Baseball. to bunt a ball.
2. to push (something) with the horns or head.

noun

1. Baseball.
   1. the act of bunting.
   2. a bunted ball.
2. a push with the head or horns; butt.

bunt

²

[ buhnt ]

noun

1. Nautical. the middle part of a square sail.
2. the bagging part of a fishing net or bagging middle area of various cloth objects.

bunt

³

[ buhnt ]

noun

, Plant Pathology.

1. a smut disease of wheat in which the kernels are replaced by the black, foul-smelling spores of fungi of the genus Tilletia.

bunt

¹

/ bʌnt /

noun

1. nautical the baggy centre of a fishing net or other piece of fabric, such as a square sail

bunt

²

/ bʌnt /

verb

1. (of an animal) to butt (something) with the head or horns
2. to cause (an aircraft) to fly in part of an inverted loop or (of an aircraft) to fly in such a loop
3. (in baseball) to hit (a pitched ball) very gently

noun

1. the act or an instance of bunting

bunt

³

/ bʌnt /

noun

1. a disease of cereal plants caused by smut fungi (genus Tilletia )

Other Words From

• bunter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bunt¹

First recorded in 1760–70; originally British dialect (central and south England): “to push, strike”; origin uncertain

Origin of bunt²

First recorded in 1575–85; origin uncertain

Origin of bunt³

First recorded in 1595–1605; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of bunt¹

C16: perhaps from Middle Low German bunt bundle

Origin of bunt²

C19: perhaps nasalized variant of butt ³

Origin of bunt³

C17: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

He also dove to catch a bunt on the fly early in the game.

From Los Angeles Times

Ohtani hit an RBI single to center in the bottom of the sixth, capitalizing on Alonso’s poor decision to — unsuccessfully — try and get the lead runner on a Taylor sacrifice bunt in the preceding at-bat.

From Los Angeles Times

Not once, but twice in the first four innings of the National League Championship Series opener against the New York Mets, the Dodgers dropped perfectly placed sacrifice bunts, practically a lost art in today’s game.

From Los Angeles Times

Believe it, somebody in modern baseball actually bunted their way on base.

From Los Angeles Times

Things got exponentially worse in the next at-bat, when a bunt from Brandon Marsh led to controversy at third base.

From Los Angeles Times