A strikeout is what happens in baseball when a batter fails to hit the ball after three strikes. The pitcher throws the ball, and if the batter swings and misses, or if the pitch crosses home plate in the strike zone and the batter doesn't swing, the umpire calls a strike. After the third strike, the batter is out and must return to the dugout while the next batter comes up. Getting a strikeout is a victory for the pitcher and their team.

The word also appears in everyday language to mean a complete failure. If you try three different approaches to solve a problem and none of them work, you might say you struck out. When someone asks three different friends to go to a movie and they all say no, they might joke that they struck out trying to make plans. In baseball, a strikeout means the batter gets another chance the next time they come to the plate. People sometimes say that in life, striking out just means it's time to try a different approach or wait for another opportunity.