What does inning mean?
An inning is a defined period of play, most commonly one of the nine divisions of a baseball game. During an inning, one team bats while the other takes the field; in cricket, an innings usually refers to one team's complete turn at bat. A baseball game can therefore last nine innings or continue into extra innings when the score is tied after regulation. More broadly, the word can describe a period of activity or favourable circumstances, as in the expression 'an inning in the sun'. The word is especially associated with baseball in American English, while cricket usage is prominent in British English and other countries where the sport is widely played. It is also commonly used figuratively when describing someone's brief period of success or opportunity.
One of the nine divisions of a baseball game, during which one team bats and the other team fields.
"The visitors scored three times in the third inning."
The phrase 'extra innings' refers to additional divisions played when a game is tied after nine innings.
One of the two main periods of a cricket match, during which one team bats and the other fields; in this sense, the usual form is 'innings'.
"The visitors batted first and declared their innings with 187 runs."
Cricket usage commonly uses the plural form 'innings' for a team's complete turn at bat.
A period of activity, opportunity, or success.
"He had a long inning as a prominent campaigner before entering politics."
This is a literary and figurative use, especially common in British English.
The plural is standard in expressions such as 'extra innings' and in the cricket sense, where 'an innings' means a team's complete turn at bat.
"The match continued into extra innings after the teams finished level."
A baseball game has nine innings, but the most memorable ones are often the ninth—and sometimes the tenth, eleventh, or beyond.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does inning come from?
The word inning comes from Old English ġinunga, meaning a space of time or period, and ultimately reflects a Germanic word for a duration or while. Its sporting sense developed in the nineteenth century as games came to be divided into named periods of play. The modern baseball and cricket meanings preserve the older idea of a bounded period of time, while figurative uses extend that idea to a favourable phase in someone's life or work.
Related word forms
How inning is actually used
In baseball, 'inning' is usually singular when referring to one division of play, while 'innings' refers to the complete game or a game extended beyond regulation. In cricket, 'innings' is the usual form for a team's complete turn at bat. The figurative sense is literary and often implies a temporary period of success.